UC-NRLF 


32    701 


INTRODUCTION 


TO  A  HISTOEY  OF 


IRONMAKING  AND  COAL  MINING 


IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


CONTRIBUTED  TO  THE  FINAL  EEPORT  OF  THE  PENNSYLVANIA 
BOARD  OF  CENTENNIAL  MANAGERS. 


BY 


JAMES    M. 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  IRON  AND  STEEL  ASSOCIATION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED    BY    THE    AUTHOR: 

No.  265  SOUTH  FOURTH  STREET. 
1878. 


. 


Entered,  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1878,  by 

JAMES   M.  SWANK, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PRINTED  BY 

ALLEN,  LANE  &  SCOTT, 

No.  233  South  Fifth  Street, 
Philadelphia. 


PREFACE. 


THE  following  chapters  were  written  during  the  summer  of  1877,  at  the 
request  of  the  Pennsylvania  Board  of  Centennial  Managers,  to  accompany 
their  final  report  to  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  and  are  believed  to  possess 
sufficient  value  to  justify  their  publication  in  a  form  which  will  make  them 
accessible  to  the  general  reader.  They  were  written  amid  the  pressure  of 
other  duties,  and  it  is  possible  that  the  critical  reader  will  detect  some  errors 
of  statement  and  some  omissions  of  important  facts  which  in  his  charity  he 
may  concede  would  not  have  occurred  if  the  author  had  been  a  gentleman  of 
leisure,  as  every  true  historian  ought  to  be,  intent  on  doing  one  piece  of  work 
at  a  time  and  doing  it  well.  I  am,  however,  not  conscious  of  any  lack  of  enthu- 
siasm or  industry  in  the  performance  of  a  really  difficult  and  laborious  task. 

That  there  may  be  no  misunderstanding,  I  wish  distinctly  to  impress  upon 
the  mind  of  the  reader  the  fact  that  I  have  not  attempted  to  write  a  complete 
history  of  ironmaking  and  coal  mining  in  Pennsylvania,  but  have  assumed 
only  to  write  such  an  introduction  to  their  history  as  will  contain  a  record  of 
the  principal  events  which  mark  the  beginning  of  these  two  great  industries  of 
our  State,  and  mark,  also,  the  leading  events  in  their  subsequent  development. 
Beginning  with  their  beginning,  I  end  with  the  progress  they  had  made  down 
to  1876,  but  only  glance  at  the  great  gap  between.  Otherwise  stated,  the  scope 
of  the  following  pages  embraces  a  statement  of  the  first  enterprises  in  iron- 
making  and  coal  mining  in  Pennsylvania,  a  reference  to  significant  periods  of 
their  development,  and  a  summary  of  ultimate  results.  Greater  amplitude  and 
detail  could  only  have  been  possible  by  completely  changing  the  plan  upon 
which  the  two  essays  had  been  projected.  I  have  undertaken  to  preserve  only 
that  part  of  the  history  of  our  iron  and  coal  industries  that  is  of  most  value 
and  is  in  most  danger  of  being  lost. 

To  those  who  would  have  been  gratified  to  see  in  this  volume  a  description 
of  existing  ironworks  in  Pennsylvania,  it  is  proper  that  we  should  say  that  the 
American  Iron  and  Steel  Association  published  in  1876  a  complete  list  of  all 
such  enterprises  in  the  United  States,  which  list  is  now  being  revised  for 
publication  in  the  spring  of  the  present  year. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  chapters  which  follow  I  have  consulted  all  ac- 
cessible printed  sources  of  information  which  were  deemed  authentic,  and,  in 
addition,  I  have  personally  or  by  letter  communicated  with  many  persons  who 
were  likely  to  possess  information  concerning  our  early  ironmaking  and  coal- 
mining enterprises.  Upon  many  of  the  subjects  treated  of  in  connection  with 
the  history  of  early  ironmaking  in  Pennsylvania,  as,  for  instance,  the  first  iron 
rails  made  in  the  United  States,  there  was  absolutely  no  literature  to  consult, 
and  great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  obtaining  reliable  facts  from  living 
ironmasters,  family  records,  or  other  private  sources. 

(in) 

971804 


IV  PREFACE. 


I  have  been  greatly  aided  by  the  polite  and  sympathetic  attention  of  the 
gentlemen  in  charge  of  the  library  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  have  afforded  me  every  desired  facility  for  the  examination  of  historical 
data  contained  in  colonial  records,  old  maps,  local  histories,  and  biographical 
sketches. 

I  have  freely  consulted  in  the  library  of  the  American  Iron  and  Steel 
Association  such  standard  historical  and  statistical  works  as  Charles  E. 
Smith's  Statistics  of  Iron  Manufacture  in  Pennsylvania,  (1850);  J.  P.  Lesley's 
Iron  Manufacturer's  Guide,  (1857) ;  Joseph  Scott's  Geographical  Description  of 
Pennsylvania,  (1806) ;  Sherman  Day's  Historical  Collections  of  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania, (1843);  Thomas  F.  Gordon's  Gazetteer  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
(1832);  Dr.  William  H.  Egle's  Illustrated  History  of  the  Commonwealth  of 
Pennsylvania,  (1876) ;  Dr.  J.  Leander  Bishop's  History  of  American  Manufac- 
tures, (1861);  J.  H.  Alexander's  Report  on  the  Manufacture  of  Iron,  (1840); 
Harry  Scrivenor's  Comprehensive  History  of  the  Iron  Trade,  (London,  1841); 
Daddow  &  Bannan's  Coal,  Iron,  and  Oil,  (1866);  Walter  E.  Johnson's  Notes  on 
the  Use  of  Anthracite,  (1841);  etc.,  etc.  I  have  quoted  freely  from  the  Annual 
Keports  of  the  Secretary  of  the  American  Iron  and  Steel  Association  for  1876 
and  1877.  Mr.  Robert  W.  Hunt's  paper  on  the  "History  of  the  Bessemer 
Manufacture  in  America,"  and  the  paper  of  my  deceased  friend,  Mr.  William 
Firmstone,  entitled  a  "Sketch  of  Early  Anthracite  Furnaces,"  both  papers 
contained  in  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers, 
(1875  to  1877),  have  been  carefully  studied.  I  have  also  examined  Hon. 
Abram  S.  Hewitt's  lecture  on  the  Statistics  and  Geography  of  the  Production  of 
Iron,  (1856) ;  B.  F.  French's  History  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Iron  Trade 
of  the  United  States,  (1858) ;  and  John  B.  Pearse's  Concise  History  of  the  Iron 
Manufacture  of  the  American  Colonies  and  of  Pennsylvania,  (1876).  Mrs.  Isabella 
James's  Memorial  of  Thomas  Potts,  Junior,  was  of  great  service  to  me,  because 
of  the  reliable  documentary  references  to  colonial  ironmaking  which  are  con- 
tained in  it.  I  am  also  under  obligations  to  this  lady  for  some  suggestions  of 
value  in  connection  with  the  same  period  of  our  iron  history. 

Although  it  is  impossible  in  a  brief  preface  to  mention  the  names  of  all  the 
friends  who  have  aided  me,  verbally  or  in  writing,  in  obtaining  information, 
there  would  seem  to  be  a  special  propriety  in  mentioning  the  fact  that  in  my 
search  for  reliable  data  I  have  not  limited  my  inquiries  to  our  own  country, 
but  have  been  honored  by  a  correspondence  with  two  distinguished  English- 
men, Mr.  B.  F.  Mushet,  concerning  his  share  in  perfecting  the  Bessemer  Pro- 
cess, and  Dr.  C.  W.  Siemens,  concerning  his  invention  of  the  Gas  Furnace  and 
Direct  Process.  I  name  these  gentlemen  to  show  to  the  reader  that  wherever  it 
has  been  possible  I  have  gone  to  the  fountain-head  for  information. 

The  publication  of  the  report  of  the  Pennsylvania  Board  of  Centennial 
Managers  having  been  delayed  until  February,  1878,  owing  mainly  to  the 
illness  of  their  Secretary,  Alexander  C.  Mullin,  Esq.,  as  a  matter  of  pro- 
priety the  contributions  to  that  report  which  are  contained  in  this  volume 
could  not  be  published  until  now,  although  written  several  months  ago. 

JAMES    M.   SWANK. 

OFFICE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  IRON  AND  STEEL  ASSOCIATION, 

No.  265  SOUTH  FOURTH  STREET,  PHILADELPHIA,  FEBRUARY  15, 1878. 


CONTENTS. 


IRONMAKING  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS,       .        . 9 

BEGINNING  or  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,       .  10 
Virginia  the  first  Colony  to  make  Iron,  in  1620,        .         .             .         .10 

First  Iron  Enterprises  in  other  Colonies,  .         .         .         .         .         .  10 

The  Washington  Family  interested  in  Ironmaking  in  Virginia,    .         .  11 

First  Iron  Ore  in  the  United  States  cfiscovered  in  North  Carolina,  .  11 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  IN  PENNSYLVANIA,     .        .        .11 

First  Mention  of  Iron  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1692,       .         .         .         .  11 

First  Ironworks  established  in  Pennsylvania  by  Thomas  Rutter  in  1716,  12 

Pool  Forge  on  the  Manatawny — Samuel  Nutt's  forge  at  Coventry,  .  13 

Sir  William  Keith's  Ironworks  on  Christiana  Creek,    ....  14 

First  Blast  Furnace  in  Pennsylvania  built  in  Berks  County,  .         .  14 

Will  of  Thomas  Rutter — History  of  Colebrookdale  Furnace,       .         .  15 

Thos.  Potts,  Jr. — Samuel  Nutt's  Reading  Furnace — William  Branson,  16 

SECOND   STAGE  IN  THE   DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  OF 

PENNSYLVANIA, .  16 

Durham  Furnace — General  Daniel  Morgan — Durham  Boats,       .         .  17 

First  Iron  made  in  Lancaster  County — McCall's  Forge — Spring  Forge,  17 
Green  Lane  Forge — Mount  Pleasant  Furnace  and  Forge — Warwick 

Furnace — Cornwall  Furnace — Elizabeth  Furnace,        .         .         .  18 
Baron  Henry  William  Stiegel — Early  Pennsylvania  Stoves,         .         19,  20 

Curious  Extracts  from  the  Records  of  Elizabeth  Furnace,        .         .  20 

William  Branson  and  Windsor  Forges — the  Jenkins  Family,      .         .  2t 

Noted  Ironworks  in  Pennsylvania  in  1759 — First  Steel  Works,     .  22 

First  Plating  Forge  in  1750— Steel  Works  in  Philadelphia  in  1750,  23 

Crum  Creek  Forge,  built  in  1742 — Sarum  Ironworks,  built  in  1746,  23 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CORNWALL  ORE  HILLS,           ....  24 

Peter  Grubb  purchases  the  Cornwall  Ore  Hills  in  1737,    .         .         .  24 

Cornwall  Furnace  built  by  Peter  Grubb  in  1742,           ....  24 

Colebrook  Furnace  built  by  Robert  Coleman  in  1791,       ...  25 

History  of  the  Grubb  Family, .25 

Hopewell  Forge — Speedwell  Forge — Mount  Hope  Furnace,     .         .  26 
Biography  of  Robert  Coleman— Notice  of  James  Old,          .         .        26,  27 

HISTORY  OF  VALLEY  FORGE,    ........  28 

CONTINUED    DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE   IRON   INDUSTRY  OF    EASTERN 

PENNSYLVANIA,    ..........  30 

Ironworks  in  Berks  County — David  Jones — the  Birds — Udree— Ege,  30 

Maria  Forge  and  Furnace  in  Carbon  County, 30 

First  Iron  Enterprise  in  York  County,  in  1756, 30 

(v) 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

First  Iron  Enterprises  in  Cumberland  and  Franklin  Counties,          .  31 

The  Chambers  Family— Michael  Ege,  Sr., 31 

Thaddeus  Stevens  a  Pennsylvania  Ironmaster,          ....  32 

Activity  in  Ironmaking  in  Lancaster  and  Chester  Counties,         .         .  32 

Ironworks   in  York   and  Delaware  Counties  Early  in  this  Century,  33 

Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry  in  the  Lehigh  Valley,         ...  34 

Forges  in  Luzerne  County  in  the  Last  Century,         ....  34 
The  Manufacture  of  Iron  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  Last  Century,         34-36 

FIRST  IRONWORKS  IN  THE  JUNIATA  VALLEY, 37 

Bedford  Furnace  in  Huntingdon  County  built  in  1785,     ...  37 

Centre  Furnace — Hock  Forge — General  Philip  Benner,        ...  37 

Spring  Creek  Forge — Logan  and  Tussey  Furnaces — Roland  Curtin,  38 

Barree  Forge — Huntingdon  Furnace — The  Shoenberger  Family,         .  38 

Tyrone  Forges — Juniata  Forge — Coleraine  Forges — Other  Enterprises,  39 

First  Ironworks  in  Blair  County, .39 

John  Canan — John  Eoyer — Doctor  Peter  Shoenberger,    ...  40 

First  Furnace  and  Forge  in  Bedford  County, 40 

The  Hanover  Ironworks  in  Fulton  County, 41 

Vicissitudes  of  the  Pennsylvania  Iron  Industry,  .....  41 

The  Caledonia  Steel  Works— William  McDermett,           ...  42 

Governor  David  R.  Porter  a  Pennsylvania  Ironmaster,         ...  43 

Extent  of  the  Iron  Industry  in  the  Juniata  Valley,           ...  44 
Early  Iron  Enterprises  in  Juniata,  Mifflin  and  Perry  Counties,         44,  45 

First  Use  of  Gas  from  the  Tunnel-head, 45 

Henry  S.  Spang — John  Lyon — Anthony  Shorb,        ....  46 

EARLY  IRONWORKS  IN  OTHER  CENTRAL  AND  EASTERN  COUNTIES,   .  46 

First  Ironworks  in  Clearfield,  Clinton,  and  Tioga  Counties,     .         .  46 

William  P.  Farrand — Peter  Karthaus — Disastrous  Enterprises,  .         .  46 
Early  Ironworks  in  Lycoming,  Columbia,  and  adjoining  Counties,         46,  47 

Ironworks  in  Luzerne   County — the  Scrantons — Analomink  Forge,  48 

Early  Iron  Enterprises  in  Dauphin  County,     .         .         .         .         .  48 

Simon  Cameron  a  Pennsylvania  Ironmaster, 49 

Furnaces  in  Adams  County — Iron  Enterprises  in  Schuylkill  County,  49 

FIRST  IRONWORKS  WEST  OF  THE  ALLEGHENIES,    ....  49 

Iron  made  in  Fayette  County  by  John  Hayden  in  1790,       ...  49 

The  First  Furnace— Turnbull  &  Marmie— John'Holkar— the  Oliphants,  50 

Notice  of  John  Hayden,  by  Hon.  James  Veech,       ....  50 

Union  Furnace — Mount  Vernon  Furnace — Isaac  Meason  and  others,  51 

Mary  Ann  Furnace  and  Forge  in  Greene  County,         ....  53 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  METHOD  OF  MANUFACTURING  WROUGHT 

IRON, *  53 

THE  FIRST  KOLLING-MILLS  WEST  OF  THE  ALLEGHENIES,          .        .  54 

Christopher  Cowan's  Rolling-Mill  at  Pittsburgh,  built  in  1812,        .  55 

Isaac  Meason's  Plumsock  Rolling-Mill,  built  in  1816,           ...  55 

The  Lewis  Family — James  Pratt — David  Adams,     ....  55 

WAS  PLUMSOCK  THE  FIRST  MILL  TO  ROLL  BARS  AND  PUDDLE  IRON?  56 
Clemens  Rentgen  and  his  Patents — Puddling  Iron  with  Wood,         56,  57 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  AT  PITTSBURGH  IN  1792,       .  58 


CONTENTS.  Vll 


PAGE 

Biographical  Sketch  of  George  Anshutz,      ......  58 

SECOND  STAGE  IN  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  AT 

PITTSBURGH, 59 

Joseph  McClurg — Anthony  Beelen — Tuper  &  McKowan,    ...  59 
List  of  Kolling-Mills  in  Pittsburgh  in  1826— Blast  Furnaces,         .     60,  61 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  IN  OTHER  WESTERN  COUNTIES,  61 

Westmoreland  Furnace,  built  by  John  Probst  about  1792,        .         .  61 

General  Arthur  St.  Glair's  Hermitage  Furnace, 61 

Bishop  Hopkins  a  Pennsylvania  Ironmaster,      .....  62 

Judge  Baldwin — Colonel  Mathiot — Alexander  Johnston  and  others,    .  63 

Shade  Furnace,  the  First  Iron  Enterprise  in  Somerset  County,         .  64 

Thomas  Vickroy — Richard  Geary — Daniel  Weyand  and  others,          .  64 

Forge  at  Johnstown,  built  by  John  Buckwalter  in  1809,  ...  65 

Kobert  Pierson's  Nailery  at  Johnstown, 65 

First  Furnace  in  Cambria  County  built  by  George  S.  King  and  others,  65 

Iron  Enterprises  in  Indiana  County,          ......  66 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  IRON   INDUSTRY   IN   NORTHWESTERN  PENNSYL- 
VANIA,   66 

Furnace  and  Forge  at  Beaver  Falls,  built  in  1802,  ....  66 
Bassenheim  Furnace — Detmar  Basse  Miiller — Homewood  Furnace,  .  67 
First  Ironworks  in  the  Shenango  Valley,  .....  68 
Bear  Creek  Furnace,  in  Armstrong  County,  built  in  1818,  .  .  .  68 
Activity  in  Ironmaking  in  the  Allegheny  Valley,  ....  69 
Decadence  of  the  Manufacture  of  Charcoal  Pig  Iron  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania— Furnaces  in  Erie  and  Crawford  Counties, ....  70 
Natural  Gas  First  Used  in  Ironmaking  at  Leechburg  in  1874,  .  70 

FIRST  USE  OF  BITUMINOUS  COKE  IN  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  AMERICAN 

PIG  IRON, 71 

William  Firmstone — F.  H.  Oliphant  and  others,       .         .         .         .  71 
Henry  C.  Carey  a  Pennsylvania  Ironmaster,         .                  .         .         .71 

FIRST  USE  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL  IN  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  PIG  IRON,  72 
Geo.  Crane — Dr.  F.  W.  Geissenheimer  and  other  Anthracite  Pioneers,  73,  74 

List  of  First  Furnaces  to  Use  Anthracite  Coal,         ....  75 

First  Use  of  Anthracite  for  Generating  Steam  and  for  Puddling  Iron,  76 

FIRST  USE  OF  KAW  BITUMINOUS  COAL  IN  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF 

PIG  IRON, ,   .        .        .  77 

David  Himrod— Wilkinson,  Wilkes  &  Co., 77 

FIRST  USE  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR  IRON  ORE  IN  THE  BLAST  FURNACE,  78 

David  and  John  P.  Agnew — Frank  Allen, 78 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  CAST  STEEL  IN  THE  UNITED 

STATES, 79 

List  of  Early  Steel  Works  in  Pennsylvania, 79 

Hussey,  Wells  &  Co.— Park,  Brother  &  Co.,  and  others,        ...  80 

INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  BESSEMER  PROCESS  INTO  THE  UNITED  STATES,  81 
William  Kelly — Henry  Bessemer — Robert  F.  Mushet  and  others,        81,  82 

Particulars  of  the  Introduction  of  the  Bessemer  Process,     .         .         .  83 

Daniel  J.  Morrell— E.  B.  Ward— William  M.  Lyon  and  others,        .  83 

First  Bessemer  Steel  Rails  in  the  United  States  Rolled  at  Chicago,  84 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  SIEMENS  GAS   FURNACE  AND  SIEMENS-MAR- 
TIN PROCESS  INTO  THE  UNITED  STATES, 85 

The  Messrs.  Siemens — the  Messrs.  Martin,        .         .         .                 .  85 

Abram  S.  Hewitt— Frederick  J.  Slade— James  Park,  Jr.,  ...  86 

John  A.  Griswold  &  Co.— Anderson  &  Woods— William  F.  Durfee,  87 

THE  WHITWELL  HOT  BLAST, 88 

FIRST  IRON  RAILS  MADE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,         ...  88 

The   Mount  Savage  Rolling-Mill   the   First    to   Roll   Heavy   Rails,  89 

First  American  T  Rails  Rolled  by  the  Montour  Rolling-Mill  in  1845,  89 

Description  of  the  First  Rails  Imported  into  the  United  States,  .         .  90 

First  Thirty-foot  Rail,  Rolled  by  the  Cambria  Ironworks  in  1855,  .  91 

IRON  SHIPBUILDING  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES, 91 

The  Steamboat,  Valley  Forge,  built  of  Iron  at  Pittsburgh  in  1839,  .  91 

Captain  Ericsson — History  of  the  Monitor,  ......  92 

Shipbuilding  on  the  Delaware — The  American  Steamship  Company,   93,  94 

EXPORTS  OF  PENNSYLVANIA  IRON  BEFORE  THE  REVOLUTION,      .  94 

BRITISH  MEASURES  TO  PREVENT  THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  IRON  AND 

STEEL  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  ...            ....  95 

STATISTICS  OF  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  IRON  AND  STEEL  FROM  1805  TO 

1876, 98 

COMPARATIVE  STATEMENT  BY  COUNTIES  OF  PENNSYLVANIA  IRON- 
WORKS IN  1850  AND  1876, 105 

CONCLUSION, 105 

COAL  MINING  IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 

FIRST  MENTION  OF  THE  EXISTENCE  OF  COAL  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  109 
First  Coal  Discovered  in  the  United  States  in  1679,      .        .        .         .109 
Anthracite  Coal  Discovered  in  New  England  about  1760,         .         .  109 
First  Discovery  of  Coal  west  of  the  Mississippi  in  1804,     .         .        .  110 
THE  FIRST  COAL  MINES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OPENED  IN  VIR- 
GINIA,   . 110 

DISCOVERY  OF  COAL  IN  MARYLAND, Ill 

Statistics  of  Cumberland  Coal,           .         * Ill 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  GREAT  COAL  SEAM  AT  PITTSBURGH,      .        .111 

THE  WESTERN  PENNSYLVANIA  COAL  TRADE,          ....  112 

Statistics  of  Shipments  of  Western  Pennsylvania  Coal  and  Coke,        .  113 
BEGINNING  OF  THE  BUSINESS  OF  MANUFACTURING  CONNELLSVILLE 

COKE, .113 

BEGINNING    OF    THE    BITUMINOUS    COAL    TRADE    OF    CLEARFIELD 

COUNTY, 114 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ANTHRACITE  COAL  FIELDS  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  115 
FIRST  USE  OF  ANTHRACITE  COAL  IN  STOVES  AND  GRATES,           .  121 
COST  OF  DEVELOPING  THE  ANTHRACITE  COAL  FIELDS  OF  PENNSYL- 
VANIA,         122 

MISCELLANEOUS  INFORMATION  ABOUT  COAL  MINING  IN  PENNSYLVA- 
NIA,   122 

STATISTICS  OF  COAL  MINING  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  IN  PENN- 
SYLVANIA,                                                  ...  123 


EAELY 

IRONMAKING  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


THE  object  of  the  following  sketch  is  to  recoyd^  m^ch 
order  and  without  violence  to  geographical  requirements,  th&  first 
steps  that  were  taken  in  Pennsylvania  to  ma.fce,  iroi/j  and  io  stjqw 
the  extent  of  the  iron  interest  of  the  State  at  the  close  of  fclit; 
first  century  of  our  national  existence.  We  shall  endeavor,  first, 
to  record  the  beginning  of  the  iron  industry  in  each  of  the  iron- 
producing  sections  of  the  State;  second,  to  note  in  detail  the  intro- 
duction of  those  radical  changes  in  the  business  of  iron  and  steel 
making  with  which  Pennsylvania  has  been  prominently  identified ; 
and,  third,  to  present  such  statistics  of  the  past  and  present  con- 
dition of  the  iron  industry  of  the  State  as  seem  to  us  to  be  worthy 
of  preservation.  It  has  not  been  our  purpose  to  preserve  a  list  of 
all  the  iron  enterprises  that  have  existed  in  the  State,  if  that  were 
possible ;  nor  to  boast  of  the  metallurgical  achievements  of  Penn- 
sylvania ironmasters  and  their  workmen;  nor  to  seek  the  aid  of 
the  geologist  and  the  chemist  in  describing  the  iron  ores  of  the 
State  and  the  conditions  under  which  they  are  found.  We  leave 
these  features  of  the  history  of  ironmaking  in  Pennsylvania  to 
other  hands.  The  publication  of  this  sketch  is  believed  to  be 
amply  justified  by  the  revived  interest  in  our  national  annals 
which  the  Centennial  itself  has  created,  and  by  the  great  promi- 
nence of  Pennsylvania  among  the  iron-manufacturing  States  of  the 
Union.  In  the  development  of  the  iron  industry  of  the  nation 
Pennsylvania  has  been  in  many  respects,  as  will  hereafter  appear, 
the  pioneer  of  all  her  sisters,  while  she  has  long  been  their  honored 
leader  in  contributing  to  the  quantity  and  variety  of  American 
iron  products. 

(9) 


10  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry  in  the  United  States. — In  1619 
the  London  Company  sent  workmen  to  Virginia  "  to  set  up  three 
ironworks."  The  enterprise  was  at  once  undertaken  on  Falling 
creek,  a  branch  of  the  James  river,  and  not  far  from  Jamestown. 
Here  iron  was  undoubtedly  made  in  1620  and  1621,  but  on  the  22d 
of  March,  1622,  most  of  the  workmen  were  cut  off  by  the  Indians 
and  the  works  were  destroyed.  No  other  attempt  to  make  iron  in 
Virginia  seems  to  have  been  made  for  about  a  hundred  years.  The 
next  attempt  to  make  iron  in  the  colonies  was  in  the  province  of 
Massachusetts  Bay.  A  furnace  was  erected  in  1643  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Saugus  river,  at  Lynn,  by  a  company  of  which  John 
Winthrop,  Jr.,  was  the  leading  spirit.  In  1651  a  forge  had  been 
added  to  the  furnace.  The  first  vessel  cast  in  New  England  was  a 
small  iron  pot,  cast  by  Joseph  Jenks,  Sr.,  at  Lynn,  probably  in  1644. 
Iup  K?48  a  -forge-  was  Established  at  Braintree  by  Winthrop's  com- 
pany," and- in  lB5'2^one  was  established  at  Raynham  by  two  brothers 
tfa'tp£<J'£^Gfii#cd,  at  least 'one  of  whom  had  been  employed  at  Lynn. 
'Iri  16'o6  th'e  fir'st  ironworks  in  Connecticut  seem  to  have  been  estab- 
lished at  New  Haven  by  Captain  Thomas  Clarke.  About  1734  a 
forge  was  erected  by  Thomas  Lamb  at  Lime  Rock,  in  the  Salisbury 
district  of  Connecticut.  In  1748  a  forge  was  erected  at  Lakeville, 
in  the  same  district,  and  in  1762  the  first  blast  furnace  in  the 
State  was  built  at  this  place  by  Ethan  Allen  of  Ticonderoga  fame, 
John  Haseltine,  and  Samuel  Forbes.  Rhode  Island  made  iron 
soon  after  its  settlement  in  1636.  In  1675  a  forge  at  Pawtucket, 
erected  by  Joseph  Jenks,  Jr.,  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  as  were 
also  other  ironworks  and  infant  enterprises.  Henry  Leonard,  one 
of  the  first  ironworkers  at  Lynn,  removed  to  Shrewsbury,  New 
Jersey,  soon  after  1664,  and  there  set  up  probably  the  first  forge 
in  that  province.  It  is  stated  that  in  1682  "a  smelting  furnace 
and  forge  were  already  set  up  "  in  New  Jersey,  and  it  is  supposed 
that  they  were  built  at  Shrewsbury,  and  were  then  owned  by  Colo- 
nel Morris.  In  1685  Thomas  Budd  wrote  that  there  was  but  one 
ironwork  in  New  Jersey,  and  that  this  was  located  in  Monmouth 
county.  Shrewsbury  is  in  this  county.  Pennsylvania  first  experi- 
mented in  making  iron  about  1692,  but  the  industry  was  not  estab- 
lished until  1716.  No  iron  enterprises  were  established  in  New 
York  until  after  1734.  It  is  probable  that  the  first  ironwork  in 
the  State  was  erected  about  1740  by  Philip  Livingston,  on  Ancram 
creek,  in  Columbia  county.  The  iron  industry  was  revived  in 
Virginia  about  1715,  Colonel  Alexander  Spotswood  building  two 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  IN  PENNSYLVANIA.          11 


furnaces,  one  of  which  was  a  smelting  furnace  at  Fredericks  burg, 
on  the  Rappahannock  river,  and  the  other  was  a  very  com- 
plete air  furnace  at  Massaponax,  fifteen  miles  distant,  on  the  same 
river.  In  1732  there  were  four  furnaces  on  the  Rappahannock,  in 
one  of  which,  Principio  furnace,  Augustine  Washington,  the  father 
of  George  Washington,  was  largely  interested,  the  ore  used  in  it 
being  supplied  by  him  from  his  plantation,  two  miles  distant.  His 
mother's  family,  the  Balls,  were  also  interested  in  the  same  or  in 
a  neighboring  iron  enterprise.  Augustine  Washington's  plantation 
was  at  Bridge's  creek,  in  Stafford  county,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Rappahannock.  About  the  same  year  that  the  iron  industry  was 
revived  in  Virginia  the  manufacture  of  iron  was  commenced  in 
Maryland.  Principio  forge,  in  Cecil  county,  was  among  the  first 
iron  enterprises  in  the  State,  if  it  was  not  the  very  first.  It  was 
owned  by  the  same  company  that  owned  Principio  furnace  in  Vir- 
ginia, which  State  partly  supplied  it  with  pig  iron.  The  Carolinas 
also  made  iron  about  1715.  North  Carolina  is  entitled  to  the 
honor  of  having  first  given  to  Europeans  the  knowledge  that  iron 
ore  existed  in  the  American  colonies.  The  discovery  was  made  by 
the  expedition  fitted  out  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in  1585. 


Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry  in  Pennsylvania. — Pennsylvania 
was  one  of  the  last  of  the  colonies  to  begin  the  development  of  its 
iron  resources,  but  it  was  also  one  of  the  last  of  the  colonies  to 
receive  permanent  settlers.  The  Swedes  and  Dutch,  who  were  its 
first  settlers,  holding  almost  entire  possession  of  its  territory  down 
to  the  granting  of  Penn's  charter  in  1681,  probably  made  no  iron 
within  its  limits,  although  there  is  a  tradition  that  the  Swedes 
made  iron  at  Tinicum  in  Governor  Printz's  time,  from  1643  to  1653. 
William  Penn  sailed  up  the  Delaware  in  the  Welcome  in  1682, 
and  in  a  letter  written  in  1683  he  mentions  "mineral  of  copper 
and  iron  in  divers  places"  as  having  been  found  in  his  province. 
In  other  letters  he  expresses  the  wish  that  the  iron  and  other 
mineral  resources  of  the  province  may  be  developed.  In  1692  we 
find  the  first  mention  of  iron  actually  having  been  made  in  the 
province.  It  is  contained  in  a  metrical  composition  which  is 
preserved  in  the  library  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania, 
the  title  of  which  is  as  follows :  A  Short  Description  of  Pennsyl- 
vania: "Or  a  Relation  what  things  are  Known,  Enjoyed,  and 
like  to  be  Discovered  in  the  said  Province.  Issued  as  a  token  of 
good  will  ...  of  England.  By  Richard  Frame.  Printed 


12  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  sold  by  William  Bradford  in  Philadelphia,  1692."  Frame 
describes  in  his  epic  the  wild  and  tame  beasts,  and  the  fowl, 
fish,  cereals,  fruits,  berries,  nuts,  etc.,  which  are  found  in  the 
province,  and  in  regard  to  iron  says  that  at  "a  certain  place 
.  .  .  about  some  forty  pound  "  had  then  been  made.  This  iron 
was  probably  made  in  a  common  smith's  fire. 

In  1698  An  Historical  and  Geographical  Account  of  the  Province 
and  Country  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  West  New  Jersey  in  America, 
.  .  "by  Gabriel  Thomas,  who  resided  there  about  Fifteen  Years," 
was  published  at  London,  in  which  mention  is  made  of  the  mineral 
productions  of  these  colonies.  Alluding  to  Pennsylvania,  he  says  : 
"There  is  also  ironstone  or  ore,  lately  found,  which  far  exceeds 
that  in  England,  being  richer  and  less  drossy.  Some  preparations 
have  been  made  to  carry  on  an  ironwork."  From  this  statement 
by  Mr.  Thomas  we  infer  that  the  experiment  alluded  to  by  Mr. 
Frame,  which  resulted  in  the  production  of  forty  pounds  of  iron  as 
early  as  1692,  did  not  lead  at  the  time  to  the  establishment  of  an 
"ironwork."  Nor  can  we  learn  that  the  "preparations"  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Thomas  led  to  any  immediate  practical  results.  In 
1702  James  Logan  wrote  to  William  Penn  as  follows:  "I  have 
spoke  to  the  chief  of  those  concerned  in  the  iron  mines,  but  they 
seem  careless,  never  having  had  a  meeting  since  thy  departure; 
their  answer  is  that  they  have  not  yet  found  any  considerable  vein." 
Bishop,  in  his  History  of  American  Manufactures,  quotes  Oldmixon 
as  mentioning  in  1708  a  deposit  of  iron  ore  called  "iron  hill"  in 
New  Castle  county,  then  in  Pennsylvania,  between  the  Brandywine 
and  Christiana ;  and  Mrs.  James,  in  her  Memorial  of  Thomas  Potts, 
Junior,  says  that  on  the  24th  of  September,  1717,  Sir  William 
Keith,  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  "wrote  to  the  Board  of  Trade 
in  London  that  he  had  found  great  plenty  of  iron  ore  in  Pennsyl- 
vania." 

Two  years  before  the  death  of  Penn  in  1718  the  first  ironworks 
were  established  in  Pennsylvania.  The  event  is  briefly  described 
in  one  of  Jonathan  Dickinson's  letters,  written  in  1717,  and  quoted 
by  Mrs.  James :  "  This  last  summer  one  Thomas  Rutter,  a  smith, 
who  lives  not  far  from  Germantown,  hath  removed  further  up  in 
the  country,  and  of  his  own  strength  hath  set  upon  making  iron. 
Such  it  proves  to  be,  as  is  highly  set  by  by  all  the  smiths  here,  who 
say  that  the  best  of  Sweed's  iron  doth  not  exceed  it ;  and  we  have 
accounts  of  others  that  are  going  on  with  iron  works."  Rutter's 
enterprise  was  a  bloomary  forge,  called  Pool  forge,  the  exact  loca- 


BEGINNING   OF   THE   IRON    INDUSTRY    IN    PENNSYLVANIA.        13 


tion  of  which  is  uncertain,  but  it  was  on  Manatawny  creek,  and 
probably  about  three  miles  above  Pottstown.  Mrs.  James  visited 
the  spot  it  is  supposed  to  have  occupied,  "and  could  see  some  re- 
mains of  the  dam,  and  an  excavation  in  the  bank  where  buildings 
once  stood."  Another  Pool  forge  is  known  to  have  existed  farther 
up  the  stream,  probably  built  after  the  first  one  was  abandoned. 
Pool  forge  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  in  1728,  who  were  repulsed. 
Bishop  says :  "A  forge  is  mentioned  in  March,  1719-20,  at  Maua- 
tawny,  then  in  Philadelphia,  but  now  in  Berks  or  Montgomery 
county. "  This  reference  is  undoubtedly  to  Pool  forge. 

In  Day's  Historical  Collections  mention  is  made  by  a  historian  of 
Chester  county  of  Samuel  Nutt,  who  built  a  forge  called  Coventry, 
in  the  northern  part  of  Chester  county,  which  "went  into  opera- 
tion about  the  year  1720,"  and  made  "the  first  iron"  manufactured 
in  Pennsylvania.  Another  historian  of  Chester  county  contributes 
to  Egle's  History  of  Pennsylvania  the  information  that  Samuel  Nutt 
did  not  arrive  in  this  country  until  1714.  "  He  took  up  land,  on 
French  creek,  in  1717,  and  about  that  time  built  a  forge  there. 
A  letter  written  by  him  in  1720  mentions  an  intention  of  erecting 
another  forge  that  fall."  Mrs.  James  states  that  Nutt  purchased 
800  acres  of  land  at  Coventry  in  October,  1718.  She  claims  that 
Rutter  removed  in  1714  from  Germantown  "forty  miles  up  the 
Schuylkill,  ...  in  order  to  work  the  iron  mines  of  the  Mana- 
tawny region."  In  her  Memorial  she  gives  a  verbatim  copy  of  the 
original  patent  of  William  Penn  to  Thomas  Rutter  for  300  acres 
of  land  in  Manatawny,  dated  February  12,  1714-15.  Dickinson 
says  positively  that  Rutter  made  iron  in  1716.  Nutt  probably 
made  iron  at  Coventry  forge  in  1718.  Bishop  refers  to  a  letter 
written  by  Dickinson  in  July,  1718,  stating  that  "the  expectations 
from  the  ironworks  forty  miles  up  Schuylkill  .are  very  great." 
In  April,  1719,  Dickinson  again  wrote:  "Our  iron  promises  well. 
What  hath  been  sent  over  to  England  hath  been  greatly  approved. 
Our  smiths  work  up  all  they  make,  and  it  is  as  good  as  the  best 
Swedish  iron."  Dickinson  probably  meant  Nutt's  forge  as  well 
as  Rutter's.  The  following  obituary  notice  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Gazette,  published  at  Philadelphia,  dated  March  5  to  March  13, 
1729-30,  ought  to  be  conclusive  proof  of  the  priority  of  Thomas 
Rutter's  enterprise  :  "  March  13.  On  Sunday  night  last  died  here 
Thomas  Rutter,  Senior,  of  a  short  illness.  He  was  the  first  that 
erected  an  ironwork  in  Pennsylvania."  Both  Rutter  and  Nutt 
were  Englishmen,  and  were  men  of  means  and  great  enterprise. 


14  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


After  they  had  removed  up  the  Schuylkill,  Nutt  married  Mrs. 
Anna  Savage,  the  widowed  daughter  of  Thomas  Rutter.  Her  first 
husband,  Samuel  Savage,  had  accompanied  her  father  when  he 
went  up  the  Schuylkill  to  make  iron. 

Bishop  says  that  "  Sir  William  Keith  had  iron  works  in  New 
Castle  county,  Delaware,  erected  previous  to  1730,  and  probably 
during  his  administration  from  1717  to  1726."  This  enterprise 
consisted  of  a  furnace  and  forge,  which  were  located  on  Christiana 
creek,  and  were  built  about  1725.  At  that  time  Delaware  was 
embraced  within  the  limits  of  Penn's  province,  and  it  was  here 
that  Keith  had  discovered  the  "great  plenty  of  iron  ore  in  Penn- 
sylvania" of  which  he  wrote  to  the  London  Board  of  Trade. 
There  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the  furnace  was  aban- 
doned before  1730,  and  that  another  furnace  was  erected  which 
never  went  into  blast.  Iron  was,  however,  made  on  the  Christiana 
in  bloomaries  for  several  years  after  1730. 

In  Watson's  Annals  the  statement  is  made  that  "  the  first  built 
furnace  of  Pennsylvania  was  that  of  Colebrooke  Dale,  (Berks  Co.,) 
built  in  1720  by  James  Lewis  and  Anthony  Morris,  of  Philadel- 
phia." This  statement  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  Thomas 
Potts,  Jr.,  was  a  resident  of  Manatawny  as  early  as  1720,  where 
he  was  acting  in  1725  as  the  agent  of  his  rich  relative,  Anthony 
Morris,  one  of  the  alleged  builders  of  the  furnace.  It  is  further 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  Anthony  Morris  and  Thomas  Potts 
were"  in  1731  part  owners  of  Colebrookdale  furnace,  and  also  part 
owners  when  the  furnace  was  torn  down  and  rebuilt  by  a  company 
in  1734.  It  is  corroborated  as  to  the  date  by  information  com- 
municated to  us  in  a  letter  from  Mrs.  James,  in  which  she  says : 
"  I  have  a  large  calf-bound  folio  ledger  of  nearly  200  folios  of  Cole- 
brookdale furnace,  marked  '  B.'  The  first  date  is  August,  1728, 
but  there  are  several  pages  referring  to  the  first  ledger,  one  of  them 
in  1726.  .  .  .  Mention  is  constantly  made  ...  of  sending 
'piggs'  to  Pool  forge,  proving  that  Pool  was  then  in  full  blast. 
.  .  .  '  A'  would  seem  to  be  a  large  volume  from  reference  to  the 
folios,"  and  therefore  to  have  covered  the  operations  of  a  number  of 
years.  Mrs.  James  thinks  that  it  is  lost.  If  it  could  be  found  it 
would  doubtless  show  that  Colebrookdale  furnace  was  built  in  1720, 
or  a  year  or  two  earlier.  Mrs.  James  is  of  the  opinion  that  Thomas 
Rutter  built  the  furnace,  but  she  also  writes  to  us  that  on  the  title- 
page  of  ledger  "  B,"  above  referred  to,  the  name  of  Thomas  Potts  is 
written  in  connection  with  the  year  1728.  This  was  before  Thomas 


BEGINNING   OF   THE    IRON    INDUSTRY    IN    PENNSYLVANIA.        15 


Rutter's  death  on  March  8,  1730.  In  his  will,  dated  November  27, 
1728,  he  does  not  give  the  name  of  any  of  his  iron  possessions.  The 
opinion  is  fairly  warranted  that  Colebrookdale  furnace  was  built  by 
a  company,  of  which  Thomas  Rutter,  Anthony  Morris,  James  Lew- 
is, and  Thomas  Potts  were  among  the  members,  with  Thomas  Potts 
as  their  agent — Thomas  Rutter  being  the  principal  owner.  This 
opinion  derives  plausibility  from  the  following  extracts  from  Thom- 
as Rutter's  will,  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Register  of  Wills  in 
Philadelphia,  and  which  we  have  examined. 

"  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Thomas  Kutter  one-third  part  of  ye  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  leased  to  a  furnace  company,  with  ye  one-third  part  of 
ye  said  furnace,  iron  ore,  or  other  appurtenances  to  ye  said  one  hundred  acres 
of  land.  ...  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  son  Joseph  Butter  the  one- 
third  part  of  the  furnace,  iron  ore,  and  other  its  appurtenances,  with  the  one- 
third  part  of  one  hundred  acres  of  land  leased  to  ye  furnace  company,  and 
also  two-thirds  of  my  other  land  adjoining  to  ye  furnace  land;  also  two-third 
parts  of  ye  forge,  and  of  ye  hundred  acres  of  land  whereon  ye  forge  stands." 

The  furnace  here  referred  to  was  unquestionably  Colebrookdale 
furnace,  and  the  forge  was  Pool  forge.  In  the  inventory  filed  with 
the  will,  and  dated  "March  ye  18th,  1729-30,"  appraisement  is  made 
of  "two-thirds  of  the  furnace  and  iron  ore  and  of  one  hundred 
acres  of  land,"  etc.,  corresponding  to  the  words  of  the  will  in  its 
reference  to  the  furnace.  The  truth  of  history  will  not  be  violated 
if  we  award  ungrudgingly  to  Thomas  Rutter  the  honor  of  having 
erected  the  first  blast  furnace,  as  well  as  the  first  forge,  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Colebrookdale  furnace  was  located  in  Berks  county,  on  Iron- 
stone creek,  a  branch  of  the  Manatawny.  It  stood  about  eight 
miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Manatawny,  and  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  west  of  the  present  town  of  Boyertown,  and  about  two  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  Colebrookdale  Railroad.  Plenty  of  cinder 
marks  the  exact  site.  A  large  grist  and  saw  mill  stands  about  one 
hundred  feet  distant.  It  would  seem  that  friendly  Indians  were 
employed  at  the  furnace,  as  "Indian  John"  and  "Margalitha"  are 
found  in  the  list  of  workmen  about  1728.  In  Nicholas  Scull's 
map  of  Pennsylvania,  published  in  1759,  Colebrookdale  furnace  is 
mentioned,  and  in  a  list  of  ironworks  existing  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1789,  and  published  by  Mrs.  James,  it  is  again  mentioned,  although 
we  infer  that  it  was  not  then  active.  We  have  not  found  the 
furnace  mentioned  at  any  later  period.  A  stove-plate  cast  at  this 
furnace  in  1763,  and  so  inscribed,  was  exhibited  at  the  Philadelphia 


16  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Exhibition.  In  1731  pig  iron  sold  at  Colebrookdale  furnace  "in 
large  quantities."  The  name  of  this  furnace  was  sometimes  written 
Colebrook.  It  is  an  interesting  coincidence  that  the  first  furnace  in 
England  to  cast  pots,  kettles,  and  other  hollow  ware  by  the  use  of 
sand  moulds  was  Abraham  Darby's  Colebrookdale  furnace  in  Shrop- 
shire, which  he  leased  in  1709.  It  was  a  small  charcoal  furnace, 
and  had  been  in  existence  for  a  century.  Darby  converted  it  into  a 
coke  furnace.  He  died  in  1717.  As  he  was  a  cotemporary  pioneer 
in  the  iron  business,  and  a  Friend  or  Quaker,  as  were  most  of  the 
pioneer  ironmasters  of  Pennsylvania,  it  is  easy  to  imagine  that 
Penn's  colonists  should  have  called  their  first  furnace  after  Cole- 
brookdale furnace  in  Shropshire. 

After  the  death  of  Thomas  Rutter,  in  1730,  Thomas  Potts,  Jr., 
became  the  principal  owner  and  manager  of  the  ironworks  on  the 
Manatawny,  carrying  them  on  with  ability  and  success  for  many 
years.  He  was  the  progenitor  of  many  noted  Pennsylvania  iron- 
masters of  the  same  name  in  the  last  and  present  centuries.  Sev- 
eral of  his  sons  intermarried  with  the  heirs  of  Thomas  Rutter  and 
Samuel  Nutt.  He  died  in  January,  1752,  aged  seventy-two  years. 
In  his  will,  dated  1747,  he  leaves  his  "two-thirds  of  Colebrook- 
dale furnace  and  iron  mines "  to  his  son  Thomas.  Tradition  says 
that  he  was  born  in  Wales. 

Soon  after  Nutt  had  built  his  forge  at  Coventry  it  is  believed 
that  he  built  a  furnace  on  French  creek,  called  "  Redding."  Mrs. 
James  places  the  date  of  its  erection  at  about  1720.  It  is  probable 
that  it  was  the  second  furnace  in  the  State,  Colebrookdale  being 
the  first.  Samuel  Nutt  died  in  1737. 

In  Samuel  Nutt's  will,  dated  September  25,  1737,  he  bequeaths 
to  his  wife  one-half  of  his  right  to  a  furnace  and  forge,  and  to  his 
nephew  and  step-son-in-law,  Samuel  Nutt,  Jr.,  and  his  wife  the 
remaining  half  of  such  right.  The  furnace  referred  to  was  un- 
doubtedly Reading,  and  the  forge  was  Coventry,  in  the  ownership 
of  each  of  which  William  Branson  was  probably  an  equal  partner. 


Second  Stage  in  the  Development  of  the  Iron  Industry  of  Pennsyl- 
vania.— In  1728  there  were  four  furnaces  in  blast  in  Pennsylvania, 
one  of  which  undoubtedly  was  Colebrookdale.  Another  was  Dur- 
ham, in  Bucks  county,  where  there  was  also  a  forge  about  the  same 
time.  The  others  were  probably  Sir  William  Keith's,  on  Chris- 
tiana creek,  and  Samuel  Nutt's  Redding  furnace  on  French  creek. 
Durham  furnace  was  built  in  1727,  but  its  first  blast  did  not  take 


SECOND  STAGE  IN   THE  IRON   INDUSTRY   OF   PENNSYLVANIA.    17 


place  until  the  spring  of  1728.  It  was  built  by  a  company  of  four- 
teen persons,  of  which  company  James  Logan,  who  was  Penn's  sec- 
retary, was  a  member.  In  November,  1728,  James  Logan  shipped 
three  tons  of  Durham  pig  iron  to  England.  In  the  consolidated 
exhibit  of  the  ironworks  of  the  Lehigh  valley  at  the  Philadelphia 
Exhibition  in  1876,  the  keystone  of  the  Durham  furnace,  bearing 
date  1727,  was  an  interesting  feature.  In  1728-9  Pennsylvania 
exported  274  tons  of  pig  iron  to  the  mother  country. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  as  early  as  1734  there  were  two 
Durham  furnaces.  In  Scull's  map  of  Pennsylvania  (1759)  an  old 
and  a  new  furnace  and  a  forge  at  Durham  are  distinctly  marked. 
In  1770  there  were  two  furnaces  and  two  forges  at  Durham.  There 
were  at  one  time  three  forges  on  Durham  creek.  The  first  furnace 
was  torn  down  in  1819,  and  Long's  grist-mill  was  built  on  its  site. 
The  father  of  the  celebrated  Daniel  Morgan  of  the  Kevolution  was  a 
charcoal-burner  at  Durham  ironworks.  As  late  as  1780  there  were 
negro  slaves  employed  at  Durham,  twelve  of  whom  in  that  year 
escaped  to  the  British  lines.  Much  of  the  iron  made  at  Durham 
was  taken  to  Philadelphia  in  boats  fashioned  somewhat  as  an 
Indian  canoe,  and  first  built  at  Durham ;  hence  the  term,  after- 
wards in  common  use,  "  Durham  boats."  These  boats  were  about 
sixty  feet  long  by  eight  feet  wide.  They  were  sometimes  propelled 
by  sails,  but  most  frequently  with  poles  in  the  hands  of  men  who 
walked  upon  footways  on  each  side  of  the  boat.  The  Durham  boat 
closely  resembled  the  more  modern  keel-boat. 

Iron  was  made  within  the  ancient  limits  of  Lancaster  county  at 
a  very  early  day.  Day  says  the  first  ironworks  in  the  county  are 
supposed  to  have  been  built  by  a  person  named  Kurtz,  in  1726, 
and  that  the  enterprising  family  of  Grubbs  commenced  operations 
in  1728.  We  have  traced  the  authority  for  this  statement  to 
Hazard's  Register,  volume  8,  where  there  is  a  fragmentary  quota- 
tion from  the  Lancaster  Miscellany  of  information  contributed  by 
Redmond  Conyngham.  From  another  source  we  learn  that  Kurtz 
was  an  Amish  Mennonite.  He  probably  built  a  bloomary  forge. 
In  Egle's  History  of  Pennsylvania  it  is  stated  that  Kurtz's  works 
were  on  Octorara  creek,  and  that  it  is  possible  they  were  in  Mary- 
land, and  not  in  Lancaster  county.  Of  the  Grubbs  we  shall  speak 
hereafter.  McCall's  forge,  on  Manatawny  creek,  afterwards  Glas- 
gow forge,  was  built  about  1725  by  Anthony  Morris  and  George 
McCall.  Spring  forge,  at  Spring  Mill,  owned  by  Anthony  Morris, 
was  running  in  1729,  as  was  Pool  forge.  These  forges  were  supplied 


18  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


with  pig  iron  from  Colebrookdale  furnace.  Green  Lane  forge,  on 
Perkiomen  creek,  twenty  miles  north  of  Norristown,  was  built  in 
1733  by  Thomas  Mayberry.  The  workmen  employed  here  were  at 
one  time  chiefly  negro  slaves.  This  forge  was  supplied  with  pig 
iron  from  Durham  furnace  before  1747.  Rev.  George  Michael 
Weiss  is  said  to  have  owned  it  before  1763.  Glasgow  and  Green 
Lane  forges  were  in  operation  down  to  the  middle  of  the  present 
century.  Redding  furnace,  on  French  creek,  which  was  undoubt- 
edly the  second  of  the  name,  was  built  by  Samuel  Nutt  and  William 
Branson  in  1735-6;  Warwick  furnace,  also  on  French  creek,  by 
Samuel  Nutt's  widow,  in  1737 ;  Mount  Pleasant  furnace,  on  Perki- 
omen creek,  thirteen  miles  above  PottstowTn,  by  Thomas  Potts,  Jr., 
in  1738 ;  Cornwall  furnace,  in  Lebanon  county,  by  Peter  Grubb, 
in  1742;  Elizabeth  furnace,  in  Lancaster  county,  about  1750. 
Mount  Pleasant  forge,  built  after  the  furnace,  was  in  operation 
as  late  as  1856.  Elizabeth  furnace  continued  in  operation  until 
1856,  about  one  hundred  years,  when  it  was  abandoned  by  its 
owner,  Hon.  G.  Dawson  Coleman,  for  want  of  wood. 

The  history  of  this  old  furnace  has  been  shrouded  in  so  much 
obscurity  and  is  withal  so  interesting  that  we  are  gratified  in  being 
able  to  present  a  circumstantial  account  of  it.  We  introduce  this 
account  by  reproducing  the  following  narrative,  written  by  Robert 
Coleman,  grandfather  of  Hon.  G.  Dawson  Coleman,  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  a  copy  of  it  from  the  family  records. 

Some  time  previous  to  the  year  1755  Jacob  Huber,  who  then  owned  the 
tract  of  land  upon  which  these  works  now  stand,  erected  a  small  furnace  there. 
Like  all  other  new  undertakings  of  this  kind,  commenced  and  conducted  with 
but  small  experience  of  the  business,  Huber  soon  found  it  expedient  to  dispose 
of  his  establishment.  Accordingly  he  parted  with  all  his  estate  in  the  furnace 
tract,  and  such  other  lands  as  he  had  acquired,  to  a  company  composed  of 
Henry  William  Stiegel,  Charles  Stedman,  and  Alexander  Stedman.  The 
Stedmans  living  at  a  distance,  Stiegel  became  the  active  owner  and  manager 
of  the  estate.  He  accordingly  took  possession  in  the  year  1757,  erected  a  new 
furnace,  and  carried  on  the  works  for  the  space  of  about  eighteen  years,  during 
which  period  he  acquired  for  the  use  of  the  company  a  considerable  addition 
to  the  furnace  lands,  and  also  made  some  purchases  in  his  own  right.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  Stiegel  became  embarrassed  in  his  circumstances.  He  fell 
largely  in  debt  to  Daniel  Bennezet,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  security  of  which 
debt  he  mortgaged  all  his  undivided  third  part  of  the  Elizabeth  furnace  estate 
to  Mr.  Bennezet,  and  not  having  paid  the  money  proceedings  were  had  upon 
the  mortgage;  a  levari  facias  issued  upon  a  judgment  obtained  thereupon,  by 
virtue  of  which  a  sale  was  made  by  John  Ferree,  Esq.,  high  sheriff  of  Lan- 
caster county,  to  Daniel  Bennezet,  the  mortgagee,  who  received  a  deed  for  the 


SECOND  STAGE  IN  THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.         19 


mortgaged  premises  dated  the  5th  of  May,  1775.  Daniel  Bennezet  also  be- 
came the  purchaser,  at  two  other  and  subsequent  sheriff's  sales,  of  other  lands 
belonging  to  Mr.  Stiegel. 

In  the  year  1776,  possessed  of  but  a  small  capital,  and  recently  married,  I 
took  a  lease  for  the  Elizabeth  furnace  estate  for  the  term  of  seven  years,  not 
anticipating  at  that  time  that  before  the  expiration  of  the  lease  I  should  have 
it  in  my  power  to  become  owner  in  fee  simple  of  the  whole  or  a  greater  part 
of  the  estate.  Success,  however,  crowned  my  endeavors.  A  new  and  regular 
system  was  adopted,  by  which  the  business  of  ironworks  was  made  to  resemble 
more  a  well-conducted  manufactory  than  the  scenes  of  confusion  and  disorder 
which  had  before  that  time  prevailed  in  that  business.  During  the  continu- 
ance of  the  lease  I  made  several  purchases  of  lands  contiguous  to  the  estate, 
and  in  the  year  1780  I  purchased  from  John  Dickinson,  Esq.,  the  one  undivi- 
ded third  part  of  the  Elizabeth  furnace  and  lands  thereunto  belonging,  he 
having  before  that  time  become  the  owner  of  all  the  estate  and  interest  which 
Alexander  Stedman  held  in  the  same.  In  the  year  1784  I  purchased  out  Mr. 
Charles  Stedman,  who  also  held  an  undivided  third  part  of  the  estate.  The 
remaining  third  part  of  the  original  estate  was  not  purchased  by  me  from 
Daniel  Bennezet  until  the  year  1794,  he  either  not  being  inc^ned  to  sell  or 
asking  more  than  I  thought  it  expedient  to  give. 

On  the  furnace  erected  by  Huber,  whose  first  name  was  probably 
John,  and  not  Jacob,  the  following  legend  was  inscribed  : 

Johan  Huber,  der  erste  Deutsche  man 
Der  das  Eisenwerk  vollfiiren  kann. 

Freely  translated,  this  inscription  reads :  "  John  Huber  is  the 
first  German  who  knows  how  to  make  iron." 

Baron  Henry  William  Stiegel,  whose  eccentricities  are  described 
with  perhaps  too  free  a  hand  in  Bishop's  History  of  American  Manu- 
factures, was  a  native  of  Manheim  in  Germany,  and  according  to  the 
most  reliable  accounts  a  gentleman  of  noble  birth  and  great  wealth. 
Elizabeth  furnace  is  said  to  have  been  so  named  by  him  in  honor 
of  his  wife.  It  is  situated  near  Litiz,  fourteen  miles  from  Lancas- 
ter. Day  says  that  Stiegel  founded  the  village  of  Manheim,  near 
Elizabeth  furnace,  in  1762,  and  erected  glassworks  as  well  as  the 
furnace.  Bishop  states  that  "  some  of  the  first  stoves  cast  in  this 
country  were  made  by  Mr.  Stiegel,  relics  of  which  still  remain  in 
the  old  families  of  Lancaster  and  Lebanon  counties."  These  and 
other  early  stoves  are  thus  described  by  the  same  author. 

These  were  probably  the  same  as  the  "Jamb  stoves"  made  by  Christopher 
Sower,  of  Germantown,  some  of  which  were  cast  at  or  near  Lancaster.  They 


20  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


were,  it  is  probable,  the  first  stoves  cast  in  America,  and  are  described  as  sim- 
ilar in  construction  to  the  box  form  of  the  old  ten-plate  stoves  which  super- 
seded them,  but  they  were  without  a  pipe  or  oven.  They  were  set  in  the  side 
or  "jamb"  of  the  kitchen  fire-place,  and  passed  through  the  wall  so  as  to 
present  the  back  end  in  the  adjoining  room.  This,  though  red  hot,  but  im- 
perfectly warmed  the  rooms,  which,  though  small,  were  less  impervious  to  cold 
air  than  those  of  the  present  day.  Dr.  Franklin  published,  in  1744,  with  a 
copper-plate  illustration,  an  account  of  the  open  stove,  or  "newly  invented 
Pennsylvania  Fire-place,  etc.,"  which  bears  his  name.  They  were  afterward 
improved  by  Count  Kurnford,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  who  also  investi- 
gated the  subject  of  heating  houses  by  steam  conveyed  in  metal  pipes,  which, 
about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  was  proposed  by  William  Cook,  of  Man- 
chester. Our  hardy  ancestors,  however,  depended  little  on  stoves,  which  were 
not  in  general  use  in  dwellings  until  near  the  present  century,  and  still  later 
in  churches.  Cannon  stoves  were,  in  1782,  provided  as  an  article  of  luxury 
for  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia.  The  air-tight  stove  is  said  to  have  been  in- 
vented by  Isaac  Orr,  of  New  Hampshire,  who  died  in  1844,  at  the  age  of  fifty. 

Rev.  Joseph  Henry  Dubbs,  of  Lancaster,  records  the  fact  that 
Stiegel's  stoves  bore  the  inscription  : 

Baron  Stiegel  ist  der  Mann 
Der  die  Ofen  machen  kann. 

That  is,  "  Baron  Stiegel  is  the  man  who  knows  how  to  make 
stoves." 

After  Elizabeth  furnace  came  into  the  possession  of  Robert  Cole- 
man  he  made  shot  and  shell  for  the  Continental  army,  and  some  of 
the  transactions  which  occurred  between  him  and  the  Government  in 
settlement  of  his  accounts  for  these  supplies  are  very  interesting. 
Under  date  of  October  26,  1780,  the  following  entry  is  made  by 
Mr.  Coleman  to  the  credit  of  The  United  States:  "By  cash,  re- 
ceived of  William  Thorne,  Pay-Master,  107,319,15-90  dolls.,  old 
emission,  exchange  73  for  one,  £551,5,11."  In  August,  1781, 
another  credit  is  entered  of  "  328  dolls.,  new  emission,  three  for  one," 
which  shows  an  appreciation  of  the  currency.  Two  months  later 
exchange  was  at  two  and  a  half  for  one.  On  November  16,  1782, 
appears  the  following  entry :  "  By  cash,  being  the  value  of  42  Ger- 
man prisoners  of  war,  at  £30  each,  £1260;"  and  on  June  14,  1783, 
the  following :  "  By  cash,  being  the  value  of  28  German  prisoners 
of  war,  at  £30  each,  £840."  In  a  foot  note  to  these  credits  Robert 
Coleman  certifies  "on  honour"  that  the  above  70  prisoners  were  all 
ever  secured  by  him,  one  of  whom  being  returned  is  to  be  deducted 
when  he  produces  the  proper  voucher.  Rupp,  in  his  history  of  Lan- 


SECOND   STAGE    IN   THE   IRON   INDUSTRY  OF   PENNSYLVANIA.    21 


caster  county,  mentions  that  in  1843  he  visited  one  of  the  Hessian 
mercenaries  who  was  thus  disposed  of  at  the  close  of  the  war  for 
the  sum  of  £80,  for  the  term  of  three  years,  to  Captain  Jacob  Zim- 
merman of  said  county. 

In  1743  William  Branson,  of  Philadelphia,  erected  two  forges  on 
Conestoga  creek,  near  Churchtown,  in  Lancaster  county,  which  he 
called  Windsor,  and  which  were  famous  forges  in  their  day.  The 
following  circumstantial  account  of  these  noted  forges  and  some  of 
their  early  owners  is  from  a  letter  we  have  received  from  Mrs. 
Martha  J.  Nevin,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  W.  Nevin,  of  Caer- 
narvon Place,  Lancaster. 

In  looking  over  an  old  family  record  I  found  the  following :  "  In  the  year 
1700  David  Jenkins  arrived  in  Philadelphia  from  Wales,  and  settled  near  the 
Great  Valley  Church.  His  son  John,  anxious  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
resources  of  his  adopted  country,  penetrated  more  deeply  into  the  forest  and 
directed  his  course  to  the  site  on  which  the  Windsor  forges  were  afterwards 
erected.  Entered  into  contract  with  John,  Thomas,  and  Richard  Penn  for  the 
purchase  of  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  January  10th,  1733.  Nine  years  after- 
ward he  sold  it  to  William  Branson,  of  Philadelphia,  who  in  1742  erected  the 
forges  and  mansion  house." 

Wishing  to  get  a  particular  account,  I  wrote  to  James  McCaa,  Esq.,  who 
was  one  of  the  executors  of  my  father's  estate,  (the  late  Kobert  Jenkins, )  and 
who  had  possession  of  the  old  Windsor  account-books,  to  look  them  over,  and 
give  me  the  correct  account.  I  received  from  him  the  following :  "  William 
Branson  &  Company,  then  owners  and  proprietors  of  the  old  Reading  furnace, 
in  the  year  1742  bought  all  the  interest  and  improvements  that  John  Jenkins 
had  made  on  the  Windsor  tract  of  400  acres.  He  perfected  the  title  in  the 
name  of  William  Branson  and  immediately  began  to  build.  The  date  on  the 
stone  over  the  door  of  the  lower  forge  is  1743.  The  date  of  the  mansion  I  do 
not  exactly  know,  but  have  always  understood  it  was  built  directly  after  the 
completion  of  the  forges.  In  a  short  time  afterward  Mr.  Branson  sold  out  to 
the  English  company,  who  were  Lynford  Lardner,  Samuel  Flower,  and  Rich- 
ard Hockley,  Esqs.,  who  held  it  for  thirty  years,  when,  in  1773,  David  Jenkins, 
son  of  the  original  proprietor,  bought  the  half  interest  of  the  company  for  the 
sum  of  £2,500,  and  in  two  years  afterwards  bought  the  other  half  for  the 
sum  of  £2,400,  including  the  negroes  and  stock  used  on  the  premises." 

You  may  depend  on  this  account  being  thoroughly  accurate,  as  it  is  taken 
directly  from  the  old  account-books.  David  Jenkins  was  my  grandfather. 
My  father,  Robert  Jenkins,  inherited  Windsor  from  his  father.  I  was  born 
there. 

Robert  Jenkins  managed  Windsor  forges  with  great  success  for 
fifty  years,  dying  in  1848.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
in  1804  and  1805,  and  from  1807  to  1811  was  a  member  of  Con- 
gress. David  Jenkins  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1784. 


22  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Pool  forge,  about  a  mile  down  Conestoga  creek  from  Windsor 
forges,  was  built  about  1760,  probably  by  James  Old.  He  at  least 
owned  it  about  that  time.  Spring  Grove  forge,  on  the  same  stream, 
about  three  miles  west  of  Pool  forge,  was  built  in  1793.  None  of 
these  forges  were  abandoned  until  after  1856.  Until  1813  a  large 
part  of  Lebanon  county,  which  was  formed  in  that  year,  was  em- 
braced within  the  limits  of  Lancaster  county. 

In  Nicholas  Scull's  map  of  Pennsylvania  (1759)  two  ironworks 
are  marked  at  Pottstown,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Manatawny,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  stream,  but  their  names  and  their  owners'  names 
are  not  given.  We  learn,  however,  from  another  source,  that  one  of 
them  was  a  forge  named  Pottsgrove,  the  original  name  of  Pottstown, 
which  was  laid  out  in  1752  by  John  Potts,  son  of  Thomas.  Above 
Pottstown  the  following  ironworks  appear  on  Scull's  map  in  the 
order  named :  McCall's  forge,  Pool  forge,  and  Pine  forge,  on  the 
Manatawny,  and  Colebrookdale  furnace  on  the  Ironstone  branch. 
The  last  three  enterprises  are  located  in  Berks  county,  but  McCall's 
forge  is  in  Montgomery  county.  Mayberry's  forge  and  one  or 
two  other  ironworks  east  of  the  Schuylkill  are  also  marked  on 
Scull's  map.  Pine  forge  was  built  before  1747  by  Thomas  Potts. 
In  1768  it  was  owned  by  his  son  John.  It  probably  supplanted 
both  the  Pool  forges.  In  1845  it  was  converted  into  a  rolling-mill, 
run  by  water-power,  which  is  still  active.  Crossing  the  Schuylkill 
with  Scull,  we  find  Warwick  furnace  and  Reading  furnace  on 
French  creek,  and  Windsor  forge,  in  the  order  named — the  first 
two  in  Chester  county  and  the  last  in  Lancaster  county.  Coventry 
forge  is  not  noted,  but  it  was  certainly  in  operation  in  1756,  as  an 
official  statement  made  in  1757  shows,  and  in  1770  it  is  noted  on 
William  Scull's  map  of  Pennsylvania.  It  was  in  operation  after 
the  Revolution,  and  in  1856  a  forge  of  the  same  name,  which  is  now 
abandoned,  was  in  operation  at  or  near  the  original  site.  In  Israel 
Acrelius's  History  of  New  Sweden,  written  about  1756,  mention  is 
made  of  a  forge  attached  to  Warwick  furnace,  and  of  another  at- 
tached to  Reading  furnace,  one  of  which  was  beyond  doubt  Coventry. 
The  historian  says  :  "  Each  has  his  own  furnace — Branz  at  Reading, 
Nutt  at  Warwick.  Each  also  has  his  own  forges — Branz  in  Wind- 
sor. Nutt  supplies  four  forges  besides  his  own  in  Chester  county." 

The  first  steel  works  in  Pennsylvania  are  said  by  Mrs.  James 
and  others  to  have  been  erected  on  French  creek,  in  Chester  county, 
prior  to  1734,  by  Samuel  Nutt,  but  William  Branson  was  proba- 
bly associated  with  him  in  this  enterprise.  Branson  appears  to 


SECOND   STAGE   IN    THE    IRON    INDUSTRY   OF    PENNSYLVANIA.      23 


have  owned  the  works  in  1737.  Samuel  Nutt,  in  his  will,  written 
in  that  year,  makes  no  mention  of  them.  They  were  known  as  the 
Vincent  steel  works.  In  1756  they  were  owned  by  William  Bran- 
son, and  are  thus  described  by  Acrelius,  the  Swedish  historian :  "At 
French  creek,  or  Branz's  works,  there  is  a  steel  furnace,  built  with 
a  draught-hole,  and  called  an  '  air  oven.'  In  this,  iron  bars  are  set 
at  the  distance  of  an  inch  apart.  Between  them  are  scattered  horn, 
coal-dust,  ashes,  etc.  The  iron  bars  are  thus  covered  with  blisters, 
and  this  is  called  '  blister-steel.'  It  serves  as  the  best  steel  to  put 
upon  edge-tools.  These  steel  works  are  now  said  to  be  out  of 
operation." 

In  1750  there  was  a  plating  forge  with  a  tilt-hammer  in  By- 
berry  township,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Philadelphia  county, 
the  only  one  in  the  province,  owned  by  John  Hall,  and  two  steel 
furnaces  within  the  city  limits,  one  of  which  (Paschal's)  was 
built  in  1747,  and  stood  on  a  lot  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Eighth 
and  Walnut  streets :  the  other  was  owned  by  William  Branson. 
There  appear  to  have  been  no  other  steel  furnaces  in  operation  in 
the  province  in  1750.  Hall  is  said  to  have  established  a  bloomary 
forge  on  White  Clay  creek,  in  New  Castle  county,  about  1734. 
He  was  a  grandson  of  Thomas  Rutter,  and  oldest  son  of  Joseph 
and  Rebecca  (Rutter)  Hall. 

At  an  early  day  there  were  two  iron  enterprises  in  that  part  of 
Chester  county  which  is  now  embraced  in  Delaware  county.  These 
were,  a  forge  on  Crum  creek,  about  two  miles  above  the  town  of 
Chester,  built  by  John  Crosby  and  Peter  Dicks  about  1742,  and  a 
rolling  and  slitting  mill  on  Chester  creek,  in  Thornbury  township, 
where  Glen  Mills  now  stand,  built  in  1746  by  John  Taylor.  The 
forge  on  Crum  creek  wras  in  operation  as  late  as  1756,  when  Acre- 
lius says  it  was  owned  by  Peter  Dicks,  had  two  stacks,  was  worked 
sluggishly,  and  had  ''ruined  Crosby's  family."  This  last  statement 
is  discredited  by  a  local  historian.  In  1748  Peter  Kalm,  a  Swedish 
traveler,  wrote  that  the  ore  for  the  Crum  creek  forge  was  obtained 
thirty  or  forty  miles  away,  where  it  was  first  melted  in  an  oven  and 
then  carried  to  the  forge.  The  bellows  at  this  forge  were  made 
of  leather.  Taylor's  enterprise  was  named  Sarum  ironworks, 
and  embraced  a  forge  as  well  as  a  rolling  and  slitting  mill.  In 
September,  1750,  John  Owen,  sheriff  of  Chester  county,  certified 
to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Pennsylvania  that  Sarum  had  been 
in  operation  until  June  of  that  year.  After  this  time  the  British 
government  had  interdicted  the  further  employment  of  rolling  and 


24  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


slitting  mills  in  the  colonies.  We  can  not  learn  whether  Mr.  Taylor 
long  obeyed  this  decree,  but  it  is  said  that  his  works  were  carried  on 
with  energy  until  his  death  in  1756.  Acrelius,  writing  about  the 
time  of  Taylor's  death,  says :  "  Sarum  belongs  to  Taylor's  heirs ;  has 
three  stacks,  and  is  in  full  blast."  Peter  Kalm  states  that  at  Chi- 
chester  (Marcus  Hook)  "they  build  here  every  year  a  number  of 
small  ships  for  sale,  and  from  an  ironwork  which  lies  higher  up 
in  the  country  they  carry  iron  bars  to  this  place  and  ship  them." 
This  "ironwork"  was  probably  Sarum.  Taylor  was  the  descen- 
dant of  an  English  settler  in  the  province.  His  rolling  and  slit- 
ting mill  was  the  first  in  Pennsylvania. 


Development  of  the  Cornwall  Ore  Hills. — Cornwall  furnace,  men- 
tioned before  as  having  been  built  by  Peter  Grubb  in  1742,  was 
located  within  the  limits  of  the  since  celebrated  Cornwall  ore 
hills,  in  Lebanon  county,  and  is  now  running.  It  is  the  oldest 
furnace  in  the  country  that  is  still  in  operation.  The  Cornwall 
ore  hills,  which  literally  comprise  three  mountains  of  almost  pure 
magnetic  iron  ore,  were  conveyed  by  John  Penn,  Thomas  Penn, 
and  Richard  Penn,  proprietors-in-chief  of  the  province  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  counties  of  Newcastle,  Kent,  and  Sussex  on  the 
Delaware,  by  their  warrant  dated  London,  May  8,  1732,  to  Joseph 
Turner,  of  Philadelphia,  for  five  hundred  pounds,  money  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  grant  embraced  300  acres.  Turner  assigned  the 
entire  tract  to  William  Allen,  April  5,  1734,  and  on  the  28th  and 
29th  of  November,  1737,  Allen  assigned  the  same  to  Peter  Grubb, 
to  whom  a  patent  was  issued  August  2,  1745.  Peter  Grubb  died 
intestate  about  1754,  and  the  estate  descended  to  Curtis  Grubb 
and  Peter  Grubb,  Curtis  receiving  two-thirds  under  the  intestate 
law  of  that  day,  and  Peter  one-third.  Both  sons  were  colonels 
in  the  Revolution.  June  28,  1783,  Curtis  conveyed  a  one-sixth  in- 
terest to  Peter  Grubb,  Jr.,  his  son.  By  articles  of  agreement,  dated 
September  26,  1785,  Peter  Grubb,  Jr.,  grandson  of  the  first-named 
Peter  Grubb,  and  son  of  Curtis  Grubb,  sold  to  Robert  Coleman 
his  share  of  the  Cornwall  ore  hills,  Cornwall  furnace,  and  ap- 
purtenances, reserving  the  right  for  a  sufficient  quantity  of  ore  for 
one  furnace,  which  right  is  held  and  exercised  to-day  by  Fergu- 
son, White  &  Co.,  the  proprietors  of  Robesonia  furnaces  in  Berks 
county.  The  deed  for  the  share  sold  to  Robert  Coleman,  signed 
by  Peter  Grubb,  Jr.,  and  Mary  his  wife,  is  dated  May  9,  1786. 


DEVELOPMENT    OF   THE    CORNWALL   ORE   HILLS.  25 


After  that  year  Robert  Coleman,  through  successive  purchases  from 
the  Grubbs,  acquired  four  additional  sixths  of  the  property  orig- 
inally conveyed  by  the  Penns  to  Joseph  Turner.  At  his  death 
in  1825  his  estate  was  devised  to  his  four  sons,  and  at  the  present 
time,  under  various  partitions  that  have  since  taken  place,  the 
interest  of  Robert  Coleman  is  vested  in  his  grandsons,  Robert  and 
G.  Dawson  Coleman,  and  in  the  heirs  of  his  grandsons,  William 
and  Robert  W.  Coleman,  while  one-sixth  still  continues  as  the 
property  of  the  descendants  of  Peter  Grubb.  Neither  the  Coleman 
nor  the  Grubb  family  limited  its  operations  in  the  last  century  to 
the  Cornwall  "ore  banks  and  mine  hills,"  but  each  became  the 
owner  of  many  other  iron  properties.  Both  families  are  now 
prominently  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron — the  heirs 
of  William  and  Robert  W.  Coleman  owning  five  anthracite  fur- 
naces and  the  old  Cornwall  charcoal  furnace,  G.  Dawson  Cole- 
man owning  three  furnaces,  and  the  heirs  of  Peter  Grubb  owning, 
in  whole  or  in  part,  eight  furnaces. 

During  the  Revolution  Cornwall  furnace  cast  cannon  and  shell 
and  shot  for  the  Continental  Congress.  Colebrook  furnace,  a  near 
neighbor  of  Cornwall  furnace,  is  frequently  said  to  have  been  built 
in  1745.  This  statement  is  an  error,  traceable  doubtless  to  a 
confounding  of  this  furnace  with  Colebrookdale  furnace  in  Berks 
county.  Colebrook  furnace  was  built  by  Robert  Coleman  in  1791. 

John  Grubb,  the  father  of  Peter  Grubb,  1st,  who  built  Cornwall 
furnace,  was  a  native  of  Cornwall,  in  England,  whence  he  emigra- 
ted to  this  country  in  1692,  landing  at  Grubb's  Landing,  on  the 
Delaware,  near  Wilmington.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  from  1694  to  1698.  He  is  buried  in 
the  Swedes'  graveyard,  at  Wilmington.  Peter  Grubb,  his  son,  was 
born  at  Grubb's  Landing.  We  are  unable  to  ascertain  the  exact 
time  when  he  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  Lan- 
caster county.  Hazard  intimates  that  he  commenced  operations 
as  early  as  1728,  but  we  can  find  no  proof  that  he  did.  A  tradition 
in  his  family  says  that  he  built  a  furnace  in  1735  about  five-eighths 
of  a  mile  from  the  site  of  Cornwall  furnace,  and  cinder  is  pointed 
out  to  sustain  the  tradition.  But  this  supposed  furnace  was  un- 
doubtedly a  bloom ary,  which  may  be  regarded  as  Mr.  Grubb's  first 
iron  enterprise.  The  earliest  record  evidence  of  his  connection  with 
ironmaking  in  Lancaster  county  is  believed  to  be  contained  in 
"ye  leace"  of  Cornwall  ore  lands,  in  1739,  by  Peter  Grubb  to 
Samuel  Grubb  and  Joseph  Taylor.  In  this  lease  Peter  Grubb  is 


26  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


styled  an  "  ironmaster,"  and  it  says  that  he  "  intends  to  build  an 
iron  furnace"  on  land  adjacent  to  that  leased  to  Samuel  Grubb 
and  Joseph  Taylor.  That  furnace  was  undoubtedly  Cornwall 
furnace,  built  in  1742.  Hope  well  forge  was  built  about  the  same 
time  by  Peter  Grubb.  On  the  same  stream  Speedwell  forge  was 
subsequently  built,  probably  by  James  Old,  about  1760.  These 
forges  were  on  Hammer  creek,  within  the  present  limits  of  Lan- 
caster county.  Mount  Hope  furnace,  built  by  Peter  Grubb,  Jr., 
in  1785,  and  still  active,  is  on  the  Big  Chiquisalunga  creek,  in 
Lancaster  county,  about  ten  miles  south  of  Lebanon.  In  Acre- 
lius's  history,  written  about  1756,  appears  the  following  statement : 

Cornwall,  or  Grubb' s  ironworks,  in  Lancaster  county.  The  mine  is  rich 
and  abundant,  forty  feet  deep,  commencing  two  feet  under  the  earth's  surface. 
The  ore  is  somewhat  mixed  with  sulphur  and  copper.  Peter  Grubb  was  its 
discoverer.  Here  there  is  a  furnace  which  makes  twenty-four  tons  of  iron  a 
week,  and  keeps  six  forges  regularly  at  work — two  of  his  own,  two  belonging  x 
to  Germans  in  the  neighborhood,  and  two  in  Maryland.  The  pig  iron  is  car- 
ried to  the  Susquehanna  river,  thence  to  Maryland,  and  finally  to  England. 
The  bar  iron  is  sold  mostly  in  the  country  and  in  the  interior  towns ;  the 
remainder  in  Philadelphia.  It  belongs  to  the  heirs  of  the  Grubb  estate,  but 
is  now  rented  to  Gurrit  &  Co. 

Martic  forge,  near  the  present  village  of  Colemanville,  Lancaster 
county,  built  in  1755,  was  one  of  the  two  forges  "belonging  to 
Germans  in  the  neighborhood."  From  about  1825  to  1850  steel 
was  made  here. 

Robert  Coleman  was  born  near  Castle  Fin,  in  Donegal  county, 
and  not  far  from  the  city  of  Londonderry,  in  Ireland,  on  the  4th  of 
November,  1748.  In  1764,  when  16  years  old,  he  left  Ireland  for 
America.  Arriving  in  Philadelphia  he  presented  letters  of  intro- 
duction to  Blair  McLanahan  and  the  Biddies,  who  recommended 
him  to  Mr.  Read,  Prothonotary  at  Reading,  Pa.,  in  whose  employ- 
ment he  remained  two  years  as  a  clerk.  He  left  Reading  and  en- 
tered the  service  of  Peter  Grubb,  2d,  as  clerk  at  Hopewell  forge. 
Here  he  remained  six  months,  and  then  left  to  accept  a  situation 
at  Quitapahilla  forge,  near  Lebanon,  the  property  of  James  Old. 
Mr.  Old,  moving  some  time  after  from  Speedwell  forge  to  Reading 
furnace  on  French  creek,  took  Robert  Coleman  with  him.  While 
at  this  furnace  Mr.  Coleman  married  Ann  Old,  the  daughter  of  his 
employer.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  Thomas 
Barton,  at  the  furnace,  on  Monday,  October  4,  1773.  Fourteen 
children  blessed  this  union.  Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Coleman 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    CORNWALL    ORE    HILLS.  27 


rented  Salford  forge,  near  Norristown,  where  he  remained  three 
years.  His  grandson,  G.  Dawson  Coleman,  has  in  his  possession  a 
document  of  rare  interest,  illustrative  of  Revolutionary  experiences 
at  Salford  forge.  It  is  indorsed:  "Robert  Coleman's  memorial, 
presented  August  26th,  1776,  asking  permission  for  his  clerk  and 
three  forgemen  be  exempted  from  marching  with  the  army  to 
Amboy."  It  represented  that  the  memorialist  was  an  officer  in 
Colonel  Potts's  battalion,  and  was  then  on  his^ march  to  Amboy; 
that  he  had  rented  a  forge  for  three  years  at  a  rental  of  "  two  hun- 
dred a  year,"  the  lease  of  which  would  expire  in  three  months  ; 
and  that  the  "  principal  part "  of  his  workmen  were  Associators, 
who,  if  obliged  to  march  with  the  militia,  would  cause  him  great 
loss  and  entirely  prevent  him  from  working  up  his  stock  in  hand. 
The  request  of  Mr.  Coleman  was  granted  the  same  day  by  the 
Council  of  Safety,  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  While  at  this  forge 
Mr.  Coleman  manufactured  chain  bars,  which  were  designed  to 
span  the  Delaware  river  for  the  defense  of  Philadelphia  against 
the  approach  of  the  enemy's  fleet.  From  Salford  forge  Mr.  Cole- 
man removed  in  1776  to  Elizabeth  furnace,  which  he  first  rented 
and  afterwards  purchased.  In  1809  he  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness and  removed  to  Lancaster,  where  he  died  August  14,  1825, 
aged  almost  77  years.  His  remains  rest  in  the  Episcopal  burying- 
ground.  During  his  long  life  he  held  various  positions  of  honor. 
He  served  with  credit  as  an  officer  in  the  Pennsylvania  militia 
during  the  Revolution ;  was  a  member  of  the  State  Convention 
which  framed  the  Constitution  of  1790;  was  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature ;  raised  and  commanded  a  troop 
of  cavalry  during  the  whisky  insurrection;  was  a  Presidential 
elector  at-large  in  1792,  and  a  Presidential  elector  for  his  Con- 
gressional district  in  1796 ;  and  for  nearly  twenty  years  was  an 
associate  judge  for  Lancaster  county.  For  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  he  was  the  most  prominent  ironmaster  in  the 
State.  Mrs.  Coleman,  who  was  born  in  1756,  survived  her  hus- 
band many  years,  dying  in  1844,  aged  88  years. 

We  are  unable  to  giye  much  information  about  James  Old. 
Like  many  other  Pennsylvania  ironmasters  of  his  day,  he  was  a 
native  of  Wales.  He  was  unquestionably  a  man  of  great  enter- 
prise and  a  most  successful  ironmaster.  Mr.  Old  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  in  1791,  1792,  and  1793.  He  married  Margaret 
Davies,  daughter  of  Gabriel  Davies,  who  bore  him  seven  children, 
sons  and  daughters,  but  it  is  probable  that  he  has  now  no  living 


28  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


descendants  who  bear  his  name.  Jefferson,  in  his  Notes  on  Virginia, 
written  in  1781  and  1782,  speaks  of  an  iron  mine  in  Albemarle 
county,  on  the  north  side  of  the  James  river,  which  was  owned 
by  a  person  named  Old.  Margaret  Old,  a  daughter  of  James 
Old,  married  Cyrus  Jacobs,  who  was  the  owner  or  lessee  for  many 
years  of  Pool  and  Spring  Grove  forges  on  Conestoga  creek,  and  a 
noted  ironmaster  in  his  day.  The  Jacobs  family  came  to  Penn- 
sylvania about  1700,  and  settled  on  Perkiomen  creek. 

Valley  Forge,  in  Chester  county,  has  historic  associations  which 
no  American  can  ever  forget.  This  forge  seems  to  have  been 
erected  some  time  prior  to  1757  by  Stephen  Evans,  whose  execu- 
tors sold  it  in  that  year  to  John  Potts.  There  is  a  misty  tradition, 
however,  that  it  was  built  at  a  much  earlier  day  by  a  person  named 
Walker,  an  Englishman,  who  came  over  with  William  Penn.  Its 
original  name  was  Mount  Joy,  which  name  is  said  to  have  been 
given  to  the  neighboring  mountain  by  William  Penn.  This  was 
also  the  name  of  a  manor  owned  by  him  on  the  Schuylkill.  The 
forge  was  located  near  the  mouth  of  East  Valley  creek,  on  the 
Chester  side  of  the  creek — the  creek  forming  a  part  of  the  boundary 
between  Chester  and  Montgomery  counties.  The  forge  was  destroy- 
ed by  the  British  in  1777,  just  prior  to  Washington's  occupation  of 
the  vicinity  for  winter  quarters.  It  was  rebuilt  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, probably  by  David  and  Isaac  Potts.  The  iron  used  at  Valley 
forge  was  made  at  Warwick  furnace,  which  continued  in  opera- 
tion during  a  part  of  almost  every  year  from  its  erection  in  1737 
down  to  1867,  when  its  last  blast  came  to  an  end  and  the  furnace 
was  abandoned. 

The  foregoing  information  about  Valley  forge  was  obtained  with 
much  difficulty  and  from  various  sources.  Since  writing  the  above, 
however,  we  have  received  a  yet  more  circumstantial  account  of  this 
historic  forge,  the  particulars  of  which  were  kindly  obtained  for  us, 
after  much  personal  investigation,  by  Joseph  E.  Thropp,  Esq.,  of 
West  Conshohocken,  Montgomery  county.  It  is  as  follows : 

Valley  forge  was  built  on  the  western  side  of  Valley  creek,  in  Chester 
county.  The  original  site  was  about  five-eighths  of  a  mile  from  the  mouth 
of  the  creek.  It  was  owned  and  operated  by  members  of  the  Potts  family 
from  the  spring  of  1757  until  its  destruction  by  the  British  about  two  months 
before  the  American  army  encamped  there  in  1777.  From  1771  Col.  William 
Dewees,  son  of  Sheriff  William  Dewees  of  Philadelphia,  was  associated  with 
the  Potts' s,  and  in  1773  appears  to  have  bought  an  interest.  The  iron  used  at 
this  forge  was  hauled  by  teams  from  Warwick  furnace.  After  the  close  of  the 


HISTORY   OF   VALLEY    FORGE.  29 


war  another  forge  was  erected  about  three-eighths  of  a  mile  farther  down  the 
stream,  on  the  Montgomery  county  side,  on  ground  now  covered  by  part  of 
the  cotton  and  woolen  factory,  and  a  new  dam  was  built,  raising  the  water 
partly  over  the  site  of  the  old  Mount  Joy  forge.  (This  second  forge  was  in 
ruins  in  1816.)  About  the  same  time  a  slitting-mill  was  erected  on  the  Ches- 
ter county  side,  most  probably  being  constructed  out  of  one  of  the  buildings 
used  by  the  artisans  for  the  army.  The  forge  and  slitting-mill  were  built  by 
Isaac  Potts  and  his  brother  David.  In  1786  they  were  operated  under  the 
firm  name  of  "  Isaac  Potts  &  Co.,"  the  company  consisting  of  David  (Isaac's 
brother)  and  his  son  James.  The  property  subsequently  passed  through  the 
hands  of  Joseph  Potts,  Ralph  Peacock,  Rebecca  Robbins,  and  Jacob  Vogdes, 
until  in  1814  the  latter,  who  had  not  operated  the  works,  sold  them  to  John 
Rogers  and  Joshua  Malin.  Malin,  who  was  a  cousin  of  Rogers,  was  the 
manager.  He  rebuilt  the  rolling  and  slitting  mill,  making  it  about  30  feet 
wide  by  80  feet  long.  There  was  a  "tilt  mill"  in  one  end,  and  between  the 
main  building  and  the  dam  a  small  foundry,  the  cupola  of  which  was  blown 
by  a  water  blast.  He  also  commenced  a  three-story  stone  building  on  the 
Montgomery  county  side,  which  is  still  standing,  and  constitutes  part  of  the 
present  cotton  factory.  This  was  intended  for  the  manufacture  of  hardware. 
In  1816  Malin  became  involved,  and  John  Rogers  was  by  suit  proven  to  be 
his  partner  and  compelled  to  pay  his  debts.  April  1st  of  that  year  Rogers 
bought  Malin' s  half  interest  in  the  property,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  year 
James  Wood  went  there  as  a  partner  of  John  Rogers  and  manager  of  the 
works.  Isaac  Smedley  was  also  a  member  of  the  firm.  Wood  completed  the 
mill  which  was  intended  by  Malin  for  a  hardware  factory,  and  made  it  into  a 
saw  factory  principally,  though  shovels,  spades,  files,  etc.,  were  also  made. 
He  also  operated  the  rolling-mill,  making  boiler  plate  and  sheet  and  band 
iron.  Part  of  this  was  slit  for  the  nail  mill  at  Phoenixville,  where  as  yet  they 
had  no  such  facilities.  (Lewis  Wernwag  operated  the  nail  mill  at  Phoenix- 
ville at  the  time.)  Malin  had  made  nails  by  hand  in  a  frame  building  nearer 
the  road.  The  iron  used  by  Wood  in  the  rolling-mill  was  obtained  from 
Laurel  forge,  Coventry  forge,  and  Springton  forge. 

About  1818  Rogers  sent  John  Parkins  and  his  son  John,  Jr.,  to  Wood  to  see 
if  they  could  successfully  make  cast  steel,  to  be  used  in  their  saws.  These 
men  had  during  1812  made  an  attempt  to  make  cast  steel  in  New  York  City, 
but  failed.  A  furnace  was  built  in  the  back  end  of  the  rolling-mill,  but  did  not 
prove  large  enough ;  then  a  large  stack  was  erected  between  the  rolling-mill 
and  the  smith-shop,  (part  of  the  smith-shop  is  still  standing  and  used  as  a 
stable,)  and  six  furnaces  were  built  around  it.  Here  cast  steel  of  good  quality 
for  use  in  saws  was  made.  Sixty  barrels  of  clay  for  crucibles  were  brought 
from  Perth  Amboy.  Early  in  1821  Brooke  Evans,  of  Sheffield,  England, 
went  to  Valley  Forge,  having  leased  the  property  from  Rogers.  He  convert- 
ed the  saw  factory  and  rolling-mill,  then  being  vacated  by  James  Wood,  into 
gun  factories.  He  raised  the  roof  of  the  rolling-mill  and  added  two  stories 
to  it.  (He  made  at  Valley  Forge  20,000  muskets.)  This  building  was  subse- 
quently destroyed  by  a  freshet  and  no  traces  of  it  remain.  The  building  on 
the  Montgomery  county  side,  after  being  vacated  as  a  gun  factory,  was  enlarged 
and  converted  into  a  cotton  and  woolen  factory. 


30  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Continued  Development  of  the  Iron  Industry  of  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania^— Berks  county  was  a  busy  iron  centre  before  the  Revolu- 
tion, as  it  is  to-day.  We  have  already  mentioned  its  earliest  iron 
enterprises,  and  now  add  some  others.  David  Jones,  a  Welshman, 
settled  on  1000  acres  of  land  in  Caernarvon  township  in  1735, 
and  soon  afterwards  became  prominent  as  an  ironmaster.  He  was 
the  ancestor  of  the  Hon.  J.  Glancy  Jones.  Charming  forge,  near 
Womelsdorf,  was  erected  in  1749,  and  is  still  active.  Hopewell  fur- 
nace, in  the  southeastern  corner  of  Berks  county,  on  French  creek, 
was  built  in  1759  by  William  Bird,  an  enterprising  Englishman, 
who  is  said  to  have  built  a  forge  at  Birdsboro  in  1740,  and  who 
originated  other  iron  enterprises.  The  furnace  is  still  active. 
He  built  Roxborough  furnace,  in  Heidelberg  township,  some  time 
prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1763.  The  name  of  this  fur- 
nace was  afterwards  changed  to  Berkshire.  He  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Mark  Bird,  who  built  a  rolling  and  slitting  mill  and  a 
nail  factory  at  Birdsboro  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  He 
also  built  Spring  forge  in  Oley  township,  and  Gibraltar  forges,  in 
Robeson  township.  At  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  he  manufactured  wire. 
He  failed  in  business  about  1788.  The  town  of  Birdsboro,  in 
Berks  county,  now  the  seat  of  the  extensive  ironworks  of  Messrs. 
E.  &  G.  Brooke,  was  named  after  William  Bird.  Oley  furnace, 
eleven  miles  northeast  of  Reading,  was  built  about  1770,  and  is  still 
active.  Oley  forge,  on  Manatawny  creek,  was  built  in  1780,  and 
was  in  operation  as  late  as  1856.  These  were  Mr.  Udree's  enter- 
prises. Green  Tree  forge  was  built  in  1770.  Reading  furnace,  in 
Heidelberg  township,  Berks  county,  was  erected  in  1793,  by  George 
Ege,  and  was  in  operation  until  about  1850.  Other  old  furnaces 
in  this  county  include  Joanna,  built  in  1792,  rebuilt  in  1847,  and 
still  in  the  active  list;  Sally  Ann,  built  in  1791  and  in  operation  in 
1856 ;  and  Mary  Ann,  built  in  1797  and  also  in  operation  in  1856. 
Other  old  forges  were  built  as  follows:  the  two  Rockland  forges, 
six  miles  southeast  of  Kutztown,  in  1788  and  1790,  and  the  two 
District  forges,  in  Pike  township,  in  1797  and  1800.  In  1798  there 
were  six  furnaces  and  six  forges  in  Berks  county.  In  1832  there 
were  eleven  furnaces  and  twenty-one  forges. 

Maria  forge,  in  Carbon  county,  was  built  in  1753,  and  a  blast 
furnace  soon  followed  it.  They  stood  on  Poco  creek,  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Weissport.  The  forge  was  abandoned  in  1858,  and 
the  furnace  in  1861. 

There  was  a  bloomary  forge  in  York  county  in  1756,  owned  by 


CONTINUED    DEVELOPMENT    OF   THE   IRON   INDUSTRY.  31 


Peter  Dicks,  of  Chester  county.  Spring  forge,  in  the  same  county, 
was  built  in  1770.  Pine  Grove  furnace,  in  Cumberland  county, 
was  built  in  the  same  year  by  Thornburg  &  Arthur,  and  about 
1800  it  was  sold  to  Michael  Ege,  Sr.  About  the  year  1770  a 
furnace  was  built  at  Boiling  Springs,  in  this  county,  forming  the 
nucleus  of  the  Carlisle  ironworks,  which  afterwards,  about  1782, 
included  a  forge,  a  rolling  and  slitting  mill,  and  a  steel  furnace. 
Michael  Ege,  Sr.,  was  the  proprietor.  These  works  are  still  in 
operation,  C.  W.  &  D.  V.  Ahl  being  the  owners.  Many  other 
furnaces  and  forges  were  built  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  prior  to 
the  Kevolution,  and  also  some  bloomaries. 

After  the  Revolution,  and  even  before  its  close,  the  business  of 
making  iron  in  Pennsylvania  received  a  fresh  impulse  and  was 
extended  into  the  interior  of  the  State.  Bishop  states  that  the 
first  furnace  built  in  Franklin  county  was  Mount  Pleasant  fur- 
nace, in  Path  valley,  erected  soon  after  the  peace  of  1783  by 
three  brothers,  William,  Benjamin,  and  George  Chambers.  A 
forge  was  erected  as  early  as  1783.  This  forge  and  furnace  were 
four  miles  northwest  of  Loudon,  and  were  destroyed  in  1843. 
Soundwell  forge,  sixteen  miles  north  of  Chambersburg,  on  Cono- 
dogwinet  creek,  was  built  in  1790,  and  was  active  in  1855. 
Carrick  forge,  four  miles  from  Fannettsburg,  in  Franklin  county, 
was  built  in  1800,  and  was  in  operation  in  1856.  A  furnace  of 
the  same  name  was  built  in  1828,  which  is  still  active.  Mont  Alto 
furnace,  in  the  same  county,  was  built  in  1807,  and  is  still  active. 
Two  forges  of  the  same  name,  which  are  yet  in  operation,  were 
built  in  1809  and  1810  about  four  miles  from  the  furnace.  In 
1832  Mont  Alto  rolling-mill  was  built.  Loudon  forge  and  furnace 
were  built  about  1790  by  Colonel  James  Chambers,  and  destroyed 
about  1840.  Valley  forge,  near  Loudon,  in  Franklin  county, 
was  built  in  1804,  and  abandoned  after  1856.  Other  old  forges 
in  Franklin  county*  were  abandoned  before  1850.  Liberty  forge, 
on  Yellow  Breeches  creek,  in  Cumberland  county,  was  built  in 
1790,  and  is  still  active.  Other  forges  in  Cumberland  county 
were  built  prior  to  1800.  Cumberland  furnace,  ten  miles  south- 
west of  Carlisle,  on  Yellow  Breeches  creek,  was  built  in  1794. 
Holly  furnace,  at  Papertown,  in  the  same  county,  is  said  to  have 
been  built  in  1795.  A  forge  was  in  existence  here  in  1848.  Both 
of  these  furnaces  were  built  by  Michael  Ege,  Sr.  They  have 
long  been  abandoned.  A  paper  mill  now  occupies  the  site  of 
Holly  furnace.  Two  furnaces,  now  abandoned,  once  stood  near 


32  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Shippensburg  in  this  county — Mary  Ann,  built  in  1826,  and 
Augusta,  built  in  1828.  Southampton  furnaces,  Nos.  1  and  2,  and 
Mary  furnace,  all  near  Shippensburg,  but  in  Franklin  county,  are 
also  abandoned.  A  large  forge  near  Southampton  furnaces  was 
torn  down  in  1849.  Big  Pond,  built  in  1836,  at  Newville,  in  Cum- 
berland county,  is  still  on  the  active  list  as  a  charcoal  furnace. 

Franklin  and  Cumberland  counties  were  very  busy  iron  centres 
during  the  first  half  of  the  present  century.  We  have  mentioned 
chiefly  their  early  iron  enterprises.  One  of  their  later  enterprises 
was  Caledonia  furnace,  in  Franklin  county,  ten  miles  east  of  Cham- 
bersburg,  which  was  built  in  1837,  and  owned  in  1863  by  Hon. 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  in  which  year  it  was  burned  by  the  Confederates, 
under  General  Lee,  when  on  the  march  to  Gettysburg.  Another 
embraced  Warren  furnace  and  forge,  in  the  southwestern  corner  of 
Franklin  county.  William  Bowers  built  the  forge  in  1830  and  the 
furnace  in  1835.  Both  stopped  running  in  1856.  In  1840  there 
were  8  furnaces  and  11  forges,  bloomaries  and  rolling-mills  in 
Franklin  county,  and  6  furnaces  and  5  forges  and  rolling-mills  in 
Cumberland  county. 

We  are  indebted  to  Hon.  Frederick  Watts,  of  Carlisle,  for 
the  following  information  concerning  the  distribution  of  the  iron 
property  of  Michael  Ege,  Sr.,  who  was  for  nearly  fifty  years  a 
prominent  ironmaster  of  Cumberland  county,  owning,  as  we  have 
shown,  Pine  Grove  furnace,  the  Carlisle  ironworks,  Holly  furnace, 
and  Cumberland  furnace.  At  his  death,  in  1815,  his  son,  Peter 
Ege,  owned  Pine  Grove  furnace ;  another  son,  Michael  Ege,  Jr., 
the  Carlisle  ironworks;  another  son,  George  Ege,  Holly  furnace, 
and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Eliza  Wilson,  Cumberland  furnace. 

Bishop  says  that  in  1786  there  were  seventeen  furnaces,  forges, 
and  slitting-mills  within  thirty-nine  miles  of  Lancaster.  In  the 
next  twenty-five  years  a  large  number  of  forges  and  furnaces  were 
built  in  Lancaster  and  Chester  counties,  and  in  both  counties, 
but  particularly  in  Chester  county,  rolling-mills  were  established. 
In  1790  Benjamin  Longstreth  erected  a  rolling  and  slitting  mill 
at  Phcenixville,  where  the  foundry  now  stands,  to  roll  bars  into 
plates  to  be  slit  into  nail  rods.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
present  extensive  works  of  the  Phoenix  Iron  Company.  Rokeby 
rolling-mill,  on  Buck  run,  four  miles  south  of  Coatesville,  was 
built  in  1795,  and  Brandywine  rolling-mill,  at  Coatesville,  was 
built  in  1810.  The  puddle-mill  of  the  latter  works,  now  called 
Lukens,  operated  by  water-power,  occupies  the  site  of  the  original 


CONTINUED   DEVELOPMENT    OF   THE   IRON   INDUSTRY.  33 


mill,  which  was  the  first  plate-mill  built  in  the  United  States,  as 
we  are  informed  by  the  present  proprietors.  Mary  Ann  forge, 
two  miles  north  of  Downingtown,  was  built  in  1785,  and  Spring- 
ton  forge,  five  miles  north  of  Mary  Ann  forge,  was  built  in 
1790.  Both  of  these  forges  are  still  active.  Hibernia  forge,  on 
West  Brandywine  creek,  four  miles  north  of  Coatesville,  was  built 
in  1793,  and  is  still  in  operation  in  connection  with  a  small  rolling- 
mill  which  was  added  in  1837.  Sadsbury  forges,  on  Octorara 
creek,  near  Penningtonville,  were  built  in  1800  and  1802,  and  one  is 
still  in  operation.  Brooke  forge,  near  Pequea,  in  Lancaster  county, 
was  built  in  1795,  and  Pine  Grove  forge,  sixteen  miles  ^outh  of 
Penningtonville,  on  Octorara  creek,  in  the  same  county,  was  built 
about  1800.  A  small  rolling-mill,  which  is  now  abandoned,  was 
added  in  1844,  on  the  Chester  county  side  of  the  creek.  Pleasant 
Garden  forge,  on  the  Brandywine,  five  miles  southeast  of  Oxford, 
was  built  in  1806  and  abandoned  about  1848.  A  small  rolling-mill 
was  built  in  1845,  which  is  also  abandoned. 

In  1838  there  were  in  existence,  within  a  radius  of  fifty-two 
miles  of  Lancaster,  102  furnaces,  forges,  and  rolling-mills. 

At  Columbia  and  Marietta  in  Lancaster  county  there  were  in 
1876  eleven  furnaces,  the  oldest  of  which,  Sarah  Ann,  a  charcoal 
furnace,  was  not  built  until  1841.  In  1845  it  was  changed  to 
anthracite.  All  the  others  use  anthracite  when  running. 

In  1805  there  were  two  forges  in  York  county.  Castle  Fin  forge, 
on  Muddy  creek,  in  York  county,  was  built  in  1811  by  a  person 
named  Withers,  and  rebuilt  in  1827  by  Thomas  Bird  Coleman, 
who  also  erected  a  steel  furnace  in  1832  or  1833.  Margaretta 
furnace,  on  Cabin  Branch  creek,  was  erected  in  1823,  and  a  forge 
called  Woodstock  was  erected  at  the  same  place  in  1828.  Both 
have  been  abandoned.  Codorus  furnace  and  forge,  on  a  creek  of 
the  same  name,  were  built  by  Henry  B.  Grubb,  and  abandoned 
before  1850.  York  furnace,  at  the  mouth  of  Otter  creek,  was  built 
in  1830,  and  is  still  active.  A  short  time  prior  to  1830  a  furnace 
called  Susan  Ann,  or  Manor,  was  built  by  William  S.  Cornwell 
near  the  Brogue  tavern  in  York  county.  A  furnace  at  York 
made  all  kinds  of  castings  in  1832,  when  it  was  owned  by  Israel 
Gardner.  In  1843  there  were  two  furnaces  and  four  forges  within 
the  county  limits.  In  1850  there  were  five  furnaces  and  three 
forges.  Since  1850  the  iron  industry  in  the  county  has  declined. 

In  1805  there  were  seven  forges  and  one  slitting-mill  in  Delaware 
county.  Franklin  rolling-mill,  at  Chester,  in  Delaware  county,  was 


34  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


built  in  1808.     In  1828  there  were  five  rolling  and  slitting  mills 
in  this  county,  and  some  manufactories  of  finished  iron  products. 
\J  The  iron  industry  in  the  Lehigh  valley  was  confined  to  a  few 

charcoal  furnaces  and  forges  and  one  rolling-mill  until  its  first 
anthracite  furnace  was  built  in  1840.  There  was  a  forge  at  Easton 
before  1778,  named  Chelsea.  In  1808  William  Henry,  of  Nazareth, 
built  a  forge  in  Northampton  county,  which  was  started  in  1809, 
making  its  first  bar  of  iron  on  the  9th  of  March.  In  1824  Matthew 
S.  Henry  built  a  furnace  which  made  its  first  ton  of  pig  iron  on 
the  10th  of  May,  1825.  Hampton  furnace,  near  Sheimersville,  in 
Lehigh  bounty,  was  built  in  1809.  In  1826  Stephen  Balliet  built 
.  a  furnace  in  Lehigh  county,  near  the  Blue  mountains,  called 
Lehigh.  In  1832  there  were  in  Lehigh  county  a  furnace  and  forge 
owned  by  Mr.  Balliet,  and  a  furnace  and  two  forges  owned  by  Mr. 
Heinbaugh — probably  Hampton  furnace.  In  Northampton  county 
there  were  in  the  same  year  one  furnace  and  three  forges  in  oper- 
ation. In  1836  a  rolling-mill  and  wire  factory  were  built  at  South 
Easton,  in  Northampton  county,  by  Stewart  &  Co.  Now,  of  all  the 
iron  districts  in  the  country,  the  Lehigh  valley  ranks  second  only 
to  Pittsburgh  in  the  yearly  value  of  its  iron  products,  while  it  ranks 
first  in  the  list  of  pig  iron  districts.  It  has  several  large  rolling- 
mills  and  fifty  anthracite  furnaces.  The  Bethlehem  Iron  Company 
owns  six  furnaces  and  one  of  the  most  complete  iron  and  steel  roll- 
ing-mills in  the  world. 

About  the  year  1778  a  bloomary  forge  was  built  on  Nanticoke 
creek,  near  the  lower  end  of  Wyoming  valley,  in  Luzerne  county, 
by  John  and  Mason  F.  Alden.  Another  bloomary  forge  was 
erected  in  1789  on  Lackawanna  river,  about  two  miles  above  its 
mouth,  by  Dr.  William  Hooker  Smith  and  James  Sutton.  Still 
another  bloomary  forge  was  erected  in  1799  or  1800,  on  Roaring 
brook,  at  Scranton,  then  called  Slocum's  Hollow,  by  two  brothers, 
Ebenezer  and  Benjamin  Slocum.  The  product  of  these  bloomaries 
was  taken  down  the  Susquehanna  river  in  Durham  boats.  They  all 
continued  in  operation  until  about  1828. 

About  1789  there  were  fourteen  furnaces  and  thirty-four  forges 
in  operation  in  Pennsylvania,  according  to  a  list  published  by  Mrs. 
James.  In  1791  the  number  of  furnaces  had  increased  to  sixteen, 
and  of  forges  to  thirty-seven. 

Most  of  the  bar  iron  made  in  the  last  century  in  Pennsylvania 
was  hammered  at  the  forges  out  of  blooms  made  from  pig  iron. 
But  little  was  made  from  blooms  produced  in  the  bloomary  fire  di- 


CONTINUED    DEVELOPMENT    OF   THE    IRON   INDUSTRY.        35 


rectly  from  the  ore,  as  was  the  New  England  custom.  The  Penn- 
sylvania furnaces  were  also  employed  in  making  castings,  such  as 
stoves,  pots,  kettles,  etc.  The  stove  which  Franklin  invented  was 
first  cast  at  Warwick  furnace  about  1742,  by  his  friend,  Kobert 
Grace,  who  carried  on  the  furnace  in  right  of  his  wife,  the  widow 
of  Samuel  Nutt,  Jr.  But  the  first  bar  iron  made  in  the  province, 
by  Thomas  Rutter,  Samuel  Nutt,  and  others,  was  made  in  forges, 
sometimes  called  bloomary  forges,  directly  from  the  ore.  During 
the  Revolution  cannon  and  cannon-balls  were  cast  at  the  Pennsyl- 
vania furnaces  for  the  Continental  army.  Sixty  cannon  were  cast 
at  Warwick  furnace  alone  in  1776. 

The  early  Pennsylvania  furnaces  made  from  ten  to  twenty-five 
tons  of  pig  iron  or  castings  in  a  week,  the  highest  limit  being 
seldom  attained.  As  all  the  furnaces  were  blown  by  water-power, 
and  as  the  water  failed  in  the  summer  season,  a  fair  yield  by  one 
furnace  in  a  year  was  500  tons  of  iron.  The  size  of  the  furnaces 
seldom  exceeded  twenty-five  feet  in  height  and  seven  feet  in  width 
at  the  bosh.  The  fuel  used  was  exclusively  charcoal,  and  the  blast 
was  always  cold.  Only  one  tuyere  was  used.  Leather  bellows  were 
at  first  used,  but  wooden  bellows,  or  tubs,  were  afterwards  substi- 
tuted. These  tubs  are  still  in  use  in  connection  with  some  of  our 
oldest  furnaces.  Warwick  and  Cornwall  furnaces  were  each  over 
thirty  feet  high.  These  and  some  other  furnaces  each  yielded  in 
the  last  century  as  much  as  1,000  tons  of  iron  annually.  In  1731 
pig  iron  sold  at  Colebrookdale  furnace  at  about  $15  a  ton.  Cast- 
ings cost  about  twice  as  much  as  pig  iron.  The  forges  made 
from  sixty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  bar  iron  in  a  year, 
which  sold  at  from  $75  to  $100  a  ton. 

The  bar  iron  and  castings  made  in  the  Schuylkill  valley  during 
the  last  century  were  taken  down  the  river  to  Philadelphia  in  boats, 
which  were  poled  back  to  their  starting  points  with  great  labor. 

The  following  notice  of  the  workmen  employed  in  making  iron 
in  Pennsylvania  prior  to  the  Revolution  and  of  the  prices  of  iron 
is  taken  from  Acrelius's  History  of  New  Sweden,  written  about  1756. 

The  workmen  are  partly  English  and  partly  Irish,  with  some  few  Germans, 
though  the  work  is  carried  on  after  the  English  method.  The  pig-iron  is  smelt- 
ed into  "geese,"  ("goesar,")  and  is  cast  from  five  to  six  feet  long  and  a  half 
foot  broad,  for  convenience  of  forging,  which  is  in  the  Walloon  style.  The 
pigs  are  first  operated  upon  by  the  finers,  (smelters).  Then  the  chiffery,  or 
hammer-men,  take  it  back  again  into  their  hands,  and  beat  out  the  long  bars. 
The  finers  are  paid  30s.  a  ton  and  the  hammer-men  23s.  Qd.  per  ton;  that  is. 


36  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


to  say,  both  together,  £2  13s.  9d.  The  laborers  are  generally  composed  partly 
of  negroes,  (slaves,)  partly  of  servants  from  Germany  or  Ireland  bought  for  a 
term  of  years.  A  good  negro  is  bought  for  from  £30  to  £40  sterling,  which 
is  equal  to  1500  or  2000  of  our  dollars,  koppar  mynt.  Their  clothing  may 
amount  to  75  dollars,  koppar  mynt,  their  food,  325  ditto — very  little,  indeed, 
for  the  year.  The  negroes  are  better  treated  in  Pennsylvania  than  anywhere 
else  in  America.  A  white  servant  costs  350  dollars,  koppar  mynt,  and  his 
food  is  estimated  at  325  dollars  more,  of  the  same  coinage.  For  four  months, 
in  summer,  when  the  heat  is  most  oppressive,  all  labor  is  suspended  at  the 
furnaces  and  forges.  Pig-iron  is  sold  at  the  furnaces  for  from  £3  6s.  8d.  to 
£3  10s.  per  ton.  Bar-iron  at  the  forge  brings  £20  per  ton,  or  20s.  per  100 
pounds.  It  is  sold  dear,  for  six  months'  credit  is  given.  Pig-iron  is  sold 
in  Philadelphia  at  £5  per  ton;  bar-iron,  in  large  quantities,  at  from  £14  to 
£16  per  ton.  It  certainly  seems  remarkable  that  the  price  is  diminished 
after  the  long  transportation  to  the  city  ;  but  in  this  people  find  their  profit. 

The  iron-works  of  Pennsylvania  lie  mostly  within  forty  miles  of  Philadel- 
phia. The  carriage  for  such  a  distance  does  not  exceed  twenty  shillings  ster- 
ling per  ton.  As  a  set-off  to  this  is  reckoned  the  return-freight  upon  goods 
serviceable  for  the  storehouse  of  the  works. 

The  following  description  of  the  methods  employed  in  forging 
iron  by  our  English  ancestors  is  taken  from  Bishop's  History  of 
American  Manufactures.  These  methods  were  substantially  the 
same  as  those  in  use  in  this  country  during  the  last  century. 

John  Ray,  F.  R.  S.,  has  left  on  record  a  description  of  the  process  of  forg- 
ing iron  as  practiced  in  Sussex,  England,  in  1674.  The  forge  had  two  ham- 
mers, one  called  the  finery,  the  other  the  chafery.  At  the  former  the  metal 
was  brought  into  the  state  of  blooms  and  anconies.  The  bloom  was  a  four- 
square mass,  two  feet  long,  prepared  by  beating  a  loop,  or  mass  of  metal 
weighing  about  three-fourths  cwt.,  with  iron  sledges  upon  an  iron  plate,  and 
afterwards  with  the  forge-hammer  worked  by  water.  This  was  called  shing- 
ling the  loop.  After  two  or  three  more  heats  at  the  finery,  the  mass  was 
brought  to  an  ancony,  the  middle  of  which  was  a  square  bar  of  the  desired 
size,  and  the  two  ends  of  rough  square  lumps.  At  the  chafery  the  bar  was 
completed  by  reducing  the  ends  to  a  uniform  size  with  the  middle  portion. 
Three  loads  of  large  wood-coal  made  a  ton  of  iron  at  the  finery,  and  one  load 
of  small  coals  at  the  chafery.  A  man  and  boy  at  the  finery  would  make  two 
tons  of  iron  per  week,  and  two  men  at  the  chafery  would  make  five  or  six 
tons  a  week. 

John  Houghton,  F.  R.  S.,  (Husbandry  and  Trade  Improved,}  in  1697  says 
both  the  finery  and  chafery  were  open  hearths  covered  with  heaps  of  coals, 
blown  by  bellows  in  the  same  way  as  the  furnaces,  but  not  so  large  ;  and  the 
sow  and  pigs  received  five  heats  in  the  two — two  at  the  finery  and  three  at 
the  chafery.  He  calls  the  thick  square  first  made  a  half  bloom,  and  the  bar 
with  the  two  knobs  a  bloom,  the  greater  end  being  called  the  mocket  head, 
and  the  less  the  ancony  end.  At  the  fourth  heat  the  mocket  head  was  re- 
duced, and  at  the  fifth  the  ancony  end,  to  ihe  state  of  a  bar. 


FIRST    IRONWORKS   IN   THE   JUNIATA   VALLEY.  37 


First  Ironworks  in  the  Juniata  Valley. — The  first  blast  furnace  in 
the  Juniata  valley  was  Bedford  furnace,  built  in  1785  on  the  site 
of  the  present  town  of  Orbisonia,  in  Huntingdon  county,  by  the 
Bedford  Company,  composed  of  Edward  Ridgley,  Thomas  Crom- 
well, and  George  Ashman.  It  made  from  eight  to  ten  tons  of  pig 
iron  a  week.  Lytle,  in  his  History  of  Huntingdon  County,  says  it 
was  constructed  mostly  of  wood,  and  was  five  feet  wide  at  the  bosh 
and  either  fifteen  or  seventeen  feet  high.  A  forge  was  built  on  the 
same  creek,  by  the  Bedford  Company,  a  short  distance  from  their 
furnace,  about  1785,  which  supplied  the  neighborhood  with  horse- 
shoe iron,  wagon  tire,  harrow  teeth,  etc.  Large  stoves  and  other 
utensils  were  cast  at  Bedford  furnace.  The  entire  product  of  the 
furnace  was  converted  into  castings  and  bar  iron.  At  the  Phila- 
delphia Exhibition  was  a  stove-plate  cast  at  this  furnace  in  1792. 
On  the  10th  of  September,  1793,  Thomas  Cromwell,  for  the  com- 
pany, advertised  in  the  Pittsburgh  Gazette  castings  and  bar  iron  for 
sale  at  Bedford  furnace.  The  first  American  bar  iron  ever  taken 
to  Pittsburgh  is  said  to  have  been  made  at  Bedford  forge.  There 
was  then  no  wagon  road  to  Pittsburgh.  "  In  the  forge  the  pig 
iron  of  the  furnace  was  hammered  out  into  bars  about  six  or  eight 
feet  long,  and  these  were  bent  into  the  shape  of  the  letter  U  and 
turned  over  the  backs  of  horses  and  thus  transported  over  the 
Alleghenies  to  Pittsburgh."  Bar  iron  and  castings  from  Bedford 
furnace  and  other  ironworks  in  the  Juniata  valley  were  taken  down 
the  Juniata  river  in  arks,  many  of  them  descending  to  as  low  a 
point  as  Middletown  on  the  Susquehanna,  whence  the  iron  was 
hauled  to  Philadelphia.  Much  of  the  iron  of  the  Juniata  valley 
was  also  sent  to  Baltimore  in  arks  down  the  Susquehanna  river. 

Centre  furnace,  located  about  nine  miles  southwest  of  Bellefonte, 
in  Centre  county,  was  the  second  furnace  erected  in  the  Juniata 
valley  or  near  its  boundaries.  It  was  built  in  the  summer  of  1792 
by  Colonel  John  Patton  and  Colonel  Samuel  Miles,  both  Revolu- 
tionary officers.  The  first  forge  in  Centre  county  was  Rock  forge, 
on  Spring  creek,  six  miles  south  of  Bellefonte,  built  in  1793  by 
General  Philip  Benner,  who  subsequently  originated  other  iron 
enterprises  in  the  same  county,  and  became  an  extensive  shipper 
of  Juniata  iron.  He  died  in  1833,  aged  seventy  years,  long  before 
which  time  his  Rock  forge  enterprise  had  expanded  into  a  rolling 
and  slitting  mill,  nail  factory,  furnace,  etc.  The  furnace  was 
built  in  1816.  Benner  came  from  Chester  county,  where  he  had 
made  iron  at  Nutt's  forge  at  Coventry  after  the  Revolution.  In 


38  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


1795  Daoiel  Turner  erected  Spring  Creek  forge,  and  in  1796  Miles 
Dunlap  &  Co.  had  Harmony  forge  on  Spring  creek  in  operation. 
Logan  furnace,  near  Bellefonte,  was  built  in  1800  by  John  Dunlap. 
Andrew  Boggs  and  John  Royer  operated  this  furnace  about  1805- 
6-7,  under  a  lease  from  John  Dunlap,  the  firm-name  being  Boggs 
<fe  Royer.  Tussey  furnace,  fourteen  miles  south  of  Bellefonte,  was 
built  about  1805  by  William  Fatten.  In  1807  Roland  Curtin,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  father  of  Governor  Andrew  G.  Curtin, 
erected  a  forge  on  Bald  Eagle  creek,  about  four  miles  from  Belle- 
fonte, and  in  1817  he  built  a  furnace  called  Eagle.  In  1831  a 
small  rolling-mill  was  added,  for  the  manufacture  of  bar  iron  and 
nails.  About  1820  Hardman  Phillips  erected  at  Phillipsburg  a 
forge  and  screw  factory — the  latter  one  of  the  first  of  its  kind  in 
this  country.  Cold  Stream  forge  was  erected  about  the  same  time 
by  John  Plumbe,  Sr.,  in  Rush  township,  Centre  county. 

Barree  forge,  between  the  villages  of  Spruce  Creek  and  Peters- 
burg, in  Huntingdon  county,  and  nine  miles  west  of  Huntingdon, 
on  the  Little  Juniata,  was  built  about  1794  by  Edward  Barthol- 
omew and  Greenberry  Dorsey,  to  convert  the  pig  iron  of  Centre 
furnace  into  bar  iron.  The  pig  iron  was  hauled  in  wagons  about 
thirty  miles  over  rough  roads.  Huntingdon  furnace,  in.  Franklin 
township,  was  built  in  1796,  four  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Spruce 
creek,  on  Warrior's  Mark  run,  but  the  location  selected  was  too 
far  up  the  stream  to  secure  the  requisite  power,  and  after  one  or 
two  blasts  a  new  stack  was  built  a  mile  lower  down.  The  furnace 
was  built  for  Mordecai  Massey  and  Judge  John  Gloninger  by 
George  Anshutz,  who  in  1808  became  the  owner  of  one-fourth  of  the 
property.  At  the  same  time  George  Shoenberger  purchased  a  one- 
fourth  interest.  Prior  to  1808  Martin  Dubbs  became  part  owner, 
and  for  a  time  the  furnace  was  carried  on  by  John  Gloninger  & 
Company,  Dubbs  being  the  "  Co."  Massey,  who  was  a  land  specu- 
lator, never  seems  to  have  been  directly  interested  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  furnace  after  its  erection,  although  continuing  to  own 
an  interest  in  it  and  the  greater  part  of  the  lands  upon  which 
it  was  erected  down  to  1808,  when  the  sale  to  George  Anshutz 
and  George  Shoenberger  took  place  and  Massey  retired  absolutely. 
For  these  details  of  ownership  we  are  indebted  to  Milton  S.  Lytle, 
Esq.,  of  Huntingdon,  who  has  taken  the  pains  to  examine  the 
official  records.  A  forge  called  Massey  was  connected  with  Hunt- 
ingdon furnace,  and  was  probably  built  about  1800.  It  stood 
on  Spruce  creek,  about  one  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  furnace. 


FIRST    IRONWORKS   IN   THE   JUNIATA    VALLEY.  39 


The  furnace  has  been  cold  since  1870.  Tyrone  forges,  on  the  Little 
Juniata,  six  miles  west  of  Spruce  Creek,  were  established  by  the 
owners  of  Huntingdon  furnace,  the  first  of  the  forges  in  1804.  In 
1832  Gordon  stated  that  these  forges,  with  a  rolling  and  slitting 
mill  and  nail  factory  attached,  formed  "  a  very  extensive  establish- 
ment," owned  by  Messrs.  Gloninger,  Anshutz  &  Co.  "  The  mill  rolls 
about  150  tons,  75  of  which  are  cut  into  nails  at  the  works,  50  tons 
are  slit  into  rods  and  sent  to  the  West,  and  about  25  tons  are  sold 
in  the  adjoining  counties." 

Juniata  forge  was  built  at  Petersburg  about  1804  by  Samuel 
Fahnestock  and  George  Shoenberger,  the  latter  succeeding  to  the 
entire  ownership  in  1805.  Coleraine  forges,  on  Spruce  creek,  were 
built  in  1805  and  1809,  by  Samuel  Marshall,  an  Irishman.  There 
have  been  many  forges  on  Spruce  creek,  none  of  which  are  now 
in  operation.  Union  furnace,  in  Morris  township,  in  Huntingdon 
county,  was  built  by  Edward  B.  Dorsey  and  Caleb  Evans  in  1810 
or  1811.  Pennsylvania  furnace,  in  the  northern  part  of  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  was  built  by  John  Lyon,  Jacob  Haldeman,  and 
William  Wallace  in  1813.  It  was  for  a  long  time  managed  by 
John  Anderson.  The  boundary  line  between  Huntingdon  and 
Centre  counties  ran  through  this  furnace.  About  1818  Reuben 
Trexler,  of  Berks  county,  built  a  bloomary  called  Mary  Ann,  in 
Trough  Creek  valley,  Huntingdon  county,  and  about  1821  he 
added  a  furnace  with  the  same  name,  but  afterwards  changed  to 
Paradise.  In  1832  John  Savage,  of  Philadelphia,  built  a  forge 
near  Paradise  furnace,  which  Hon.  Archibald  McAllister  informs 
us  was  the  first  forge  in  this  country  "  that  used  the  big  hammer 
and  iron  helve  on  the  English  plan." 

George  Shoenberger,  the  father  of  Doctor  Peter  Shoenberger, 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  and  during  the  closing  years  of  the 
last  century  settled  on  Shaver's  creek,  in  Huntingdon  county,  as 
did  also  his  brother  Peter.  The  town  of  Petersburg  was  laid  out 
in  1795  by  Peter  Shoenberger,  the  brother  of  George  Shoenber- 
ger. September  27,  1800,  Peter  sold  to  his  brother  George  the 
tract  of  land  of  which  Petersburg  formed  a  part,  and  about  1804 
George  built  Juniata  forge  in  connection  with  Samuel  Fahnestock, 
as  we  have  already  stated.  Subsequently,  as  we  have  shown,  he 
became  part  owner  of  Huntingdon  furnace.  He  died  in  1814 
or  1815.  His  only  son,  Doctor  Peter  Shoenberger,  succeeded 
him  in  the  ownership  of  his  iron  enterprises. 

Etna  furnace  and  forge  in  Huntingdon  county,  now  in  Catharine 


40  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


township,  Blair  county,  were  built  in  1805  by  Canan,  Stewart 
&  Moore.  John  Canan  was  an  Irishman  from  Donegal,  but  a 
citizen  of  Franklin  county  prior  to  his  emigration  to  Huntingdon 
county.  The  furnace  was  the  first  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
county  of  Blair.  Cove  forge,  on  the  Frankstown  branch  of  the 
Juniata,  in  Blair  county,  two  miles  northeast  of  Williamsburg, 
was  built  in  1810,  by  John  Royer,  who  was  born  in  Franklin 
county  in  1779,  was  a  clerk  at  Chambers's  ironworks  in  that 
county,  was  subsequently  engaged  at  Logan  furnace,  and  in  1808 
commenced  to  build  Cove  forge.  After  a  checkered  experience, 
including  an  honorable  record  as  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of 
the  State  Legislature,  first  from  Huntingdon  and  afterwards  from 
Cambria  county,  he  died  at  Johnstown  in  1850.  Allegheny  fur- 
nace was  built  in  1811,  by  Allison  &  Henderson,  and  was  the 
second  furnace  in  Blair  county.  In  1835  it  was  purchased  by 
Elias  Baker  and  Roland  Diller,  of  Lancaster  county.  The  next 
furnace  in  Blair  county  was  Springfield,  built  in  1815  by  John 
Royer  and  his  brother  Daniel.  Springfield  furnace  and  Cove 
forge  are  now  owned  by  John  Royer,  son  of  Daniel.  The  next  fur- 
nace in  this  county  was  Rebecca,  built  in  1817.  The  last  was  the 
first  furnace  erected  by  Doctor  Peter  Shoenberger,  who  afterwards 
became  the  most  prominent  ironmaster  in  the  State.  Other  iron 
enterprises  of  his  in  the  Juniata  valley  were  numerous  and  ex- 
tensive, and  their  beginning  followed  closely  upon  the  building 
of  Rebecca  furnace.  He  also  owned  ironworks  in  Bedford,  Cam- 
bria, Indiana,  Westmoreland,  Lancaster,  Mercer,  Allegheny,  and 
perhaps  some  other  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  and  at  Wheeling 
in  West  Virginia.  The  Doctor  was  born  at  Manheim,  Lancaster 
county,  in  1781  ;  died  at  Marietta,  Lancaster  county,  June  18, 
1854,  aged  seventy-three  years;  and  was  buried  at  Laurel  Hill 
cemetery,  Philadelphia.  His  widow  is  still  living  at  Germantown, 
at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  He  left  a  large  number  of  children, 
who  continued  most  of  his  iron  enterprises. 

A  furnace  and  forge  were  built  at  Hopewell,  in  Bedford  county, 
about  the  year  1800,  by  William  Lane,  of  Lancaster  county.  On 
Yellow  creek,  two  miles  from  Hopewell,  Mr.  Lane  built  Lemnos 
forge  and  slitting-mill  in  1806.  In  1841  Loy  &  Patterson  built 
Lemnos  furnace,  on  Yellow  creek,  two  miles  west  of  Hopewell,  to 
use  charcoal,  the  firm  leasing  the  lands  from  Mr.  Lane.  They  blew 
the  furnace  for  a  few  years,  when  the  property  was  sold,  Messrs. 
Karns,  Horton  &  Gates  purchasing  it.  They  afterwards  sold  to 


FIRST   IRONWORKS   IN   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY.  41 


John  and  Thomas  King.  It  has  since  changed  hands  several  times, 
and  the  furnace  is  now  abandoned.  Bedford  forge,  also  on  Yellow 
creek,  was  built  by  Swope  &  King  in  1812.  Elizabeth  furnace, 
now  Bloomfield,  was  built  at  Woodbfury,  in  Bedford  county,  in 
1827,  by  King,  Swope  &  Co.,  Doctor  Shoenberger  being  the  com- 
pany, and  owning  one-half.  In  1845  the  furnace  was  removed  to 
Bloomfield,  in  Bedford  county.  In  1840  Bedford  county,  which 
then  embraced  Fulton  county  and  a  part  of  Blair  county,  con- 
tained nine  furnaces  and  two  forges.  There  are  now  no  iron  enter- 
prises in  Fulton  county.  There  are  three  modern-built  furnaces  in 
Bedford  county — one  at  Hopewell  and  two  at  Kiddlesburg.  Han- 
over furnace  and  forge,  nine  miles  below  M'Connellsburg,  in 
the  Great  Cove,  in  Fulton  county,  were  built  fifty  years  ago — the 
forge  in  1822  by  John  Doyle,  and  the  furnace  in  1827  by  John 
Irvine.  The  "Hanover  ironworks"  were  regarded  in  their  day  as 
an  extensive  enterprise.  They  were  abandoned,  with  many  other 
iron  enterprises  in  the  State,  soon  after  the  passage  of  the  tariff  of 
1846.  We  are  favored  by  James  Pott,  Esq.,  of  M'Connellsburg, 
with  the  following  account  of  Hanover  ironworks,  which  we  publish 
partly  to  illustrate  the  varying  vicissitudes  which  the  iron  industry 
of  Pennsylvania  has  experienced  in  the  past,  and  is  even  now  ex- 
periencing. No  other  business  appears  to  be  subject  to  so  many 
vicissitudes  as  the  making  of  iron. 

These  works  were  located  in  Ayr  township,  known  as  the  Great  Cove,  Bed- 
ford (now  Fulton)  county,  at  a  point  nine  miles  southward  of  M'Connells- 
burg. The  works  were  commenced  in  1822  by  John  Doyle,  who  had  been 
previously,  and  was  then,  I  believe,  engaged  in  the  iron  business  at  Mount 
Pleasant  (now  Eichmond)  ironworks,  near  Loudon,  Franklin  county,  Pa.  Mr. 
Doyle  built  a  forge  only,  which  he  operated  but  for  a  short  time,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Thomas  B.  Dunn,  who  carried  on  the  business  until  1824,  when  the 
property  was  sold  to  John  Irvine.  In  1827  Mr.  Irvine  built  a  furnace.  Up 
to  this  time  the  pig  iron  to  supply  the  forge  was  obtained  from  Mount  Pleas- 
ant furnace.  The  iron  business  seems  then  to  have  been  brisk,  and  in  1831 
Mr.  Irvine  built  another  forge,  and  with  the  furnace  and  two  forges  he  carried 
on  a  lively  business,  manufacturing  wrought  iron  and  stoves  and  hollow  ware, 
employing,  off  and  on,  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  hands.  Mr. 
Irvine  operated  the  works  with  varying  success  until  1833,  when  he  "suspend- 
ed," and  James  E.  Turner  and  Samuel  Van  Tries  purchased  the  property  and 
operated  it  extensively  until  1836,  when  Mr.  Turner  withdrew  from  the  firm, 
Mr.  Van  Tries  becoming  the  sole  proprietor,  but  soon  after  associating  with 
himself  James  B.  Ross  in  the  business.  Under  the  new  firm  the  works  were 
operated  profitably  and  successfully  for  a  while,  but  under  the  disastrous 
effects  of  the  "compromise  tariff"  of  1833  the  iron  business  languished  and 


42  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  firm  failed  in  1842.  The  property  then  reverted  to  William  Pott,  an 
ironmaster  at  Loudon,  Franklin  county,  Pa.,  as  it  had  done  on  each  similar 
preceding  occasion,  he  being  the  mortgagee  in  the  case.  Mr.  Pott  then  leased 
the  works  to  James  E.  Turner,  (the  former  associate  of  Mr.  Van  Tries,)  in 
1843.  Mr.  Turner  operated  on  a  limited  scale,  using  the  forges  only,  making 
blooms,  mainly  from  the  iron  in  the  mass  of  accumulated  forge  cinders  of  the 
preceding  years.  In  September,  1843,  the  works  were  almost  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  the  great  freshet  of  that  time,  and  Mr.  Turner  did  little  after  that 
in  the  iron  business. 

William  Pott  now  sold  his  Hanover  ironworks  property  to  John  Pott, 
formerly  owner  and  operator  of  the  Greenwood  ironworks  at  Pottsville,  Pa., 
and  afterwards  of  Manheim  ironworks,  on  the  West  Branch  of  the  Schuylkill, 
where  the  town  of  Cressona  now  stands.  Encouraged  by  the  revival  of  the 
iron  business  by  the  stimulus  given  it  by  the  protective  tariff  of  1842,  Mr.  Pott 
took  possession  of  these  works  in  April,  1844,  and  at  once  set  to  work  repairing 
the  damages  of  the  freshet  of  1843.  He  built  a  new  furnace,  which  was  put 
into  operation  in  the  fall  of  1844.  The  iron  business  was  then  remunerative, 
and  promised  prosperity  by  reason  of  the  vitality  given  it  by  the  tariff  of  1842. 
The  tariff  of  1846  followed  and  worked  disaster  to  the  iron  business  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  in  1847  Mr.  Pott  made  the  last  blast  in  Hanover  furnace,  aban- 
doned the  manufacture  of  iron,  built  a  mill  on  the  site  of  one  of  the  forges, 
and  thenceforth  devoted  himself  to  agriculture  and  milling.  This  was  the 
end  of  Hanover  ironworks,  and  nothing  now  remains  to  indicate  its  former 
character  except  the  stack  of  the  furnace  and  the  huge  piles  of  slag  and  cin- 
ders which  bear  evidence  of  the  extent  of  the  business  during  the  period 
between  the  years  1822  and  1847.  Mr.  Pott  died  in  1856,  but  the  property 
still  remains  in  the  hands  of  his  family.  The  capacity  of  the  respective  fur- 
naces was  not  large,  being  from  fifteen  to  twenty  tons  of  pig  iron  per  week, 
with  cold  blast  and  water-power. 

Steel  was  made  at  Caledonia,  near  Bedford,  for  several  years 
before  the  beginning  of  this  century.  A  circumstantial  and  very 
interesting  account  of  this  enterprise  is  given  in  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  addressed  to  James  Park,  Jr.,  of  Pittsburgh, 
by  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Pennsylvania.  The  facts  given  in 
this  extract  are  now  for  the  first  time  printed. 

William  McDermett,  who  was  born  near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  emigrated  to 
this  country  at  the  close  of  the  Kevolutionary  war,  say  about  1783-84.  He 
married  in  England  and  brought  his  young  wife  with  him.  He  possessed  a 
small  capital.  She  was  highly  educated  and  accomplished.  I  have  seen  some 
of  the  jewels,  silver  plate,  and  clothing  which  she  brought  with  her.  They 
would  indicate  that  her  family  were  persons  of  some  consideration.  The 
young  couple  landed  at  Philadelphia,  and  proceeded  westward  through  Penn- 
sylvania. He  had,  in  Scotland,  learned  the  art  of  making  steel  by  some  new 
process,  and  believed  the  ores  of  Pennsylvania  to  be  favorable  to  his  project. 
He  went  as  far  west  as  Bedford,  attracted  possibly  by  the  name  of  the 


FIRST   IRONWORKS   IN   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY.  43 


which  was  well  known  to  his  wife  in  England.  Going  a  short  distance  nearly 
south  of  that  town,  and  about  a  mile  beyond  the  present  Bedford  Springs,  he 
seems  to  have  found  the  location  he  was  in  search  of,  and  there  commenced 
his  work,  having  given  to  it  the  name  of  "Caledonia,"  by  which  it  is  yet 
known  to  the  residents  of  Bedford.  He  erected  a  log  dwelling-house,  con- 
structed an  extensive  dam,  and  put  up  his  machinery  in  a  humble  way.  In 
a  few  years  he  began  to  manufacture  steel  very  successfully.  It  was  sent  by 
his  teams  to  the  neighboring  counties,  and  articles  of  merchandise  brought 
back  in  return.  Many  of  his  children,  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  remem- 
ber handling  the  small  bars  of  steel,  seeing  the  departure  of  the  teams,  and 
greeting  them  on  their  return.  This  continued  for  eight  or  ten  years.  At 
about  the  close  of  the  last  century,  when  the  family  lived  very  comfortably 
and  their  means  were  increasing,  Mr.  McDermett  indorsed  for  one  or  more  of 
his  neighbors  who  were  in  trouble.  His  fate  was  the  common  result  of  such 
benevolence.  The  sheriff  soon  sold  the  establishment.  Much  of  the  farming 
land  now  occupied  by  the  proprietors  of  the  Springs  belonged  to  Mr.  McDer- 
mett, and  the  patents  from  the  Commonwealth  are  found  in  his  name.  No 
other  person  seems  to  have  understood  the  art  which  he  had  thus  successfully 
put  into  practice.  The  house  in  which  he  lived  still  stands.  The  apple 
orchard  which  he  planted  continues  to  bear  some  fruit;  but  his  machinery 
and  works  were  gradually  carried  away  and  converted  to  other  uses.  A  large 
part  of  the  dam  yet  remains,  but  those  who  annually  fish  in  it  for  trout  know 
little  of  the  enterprising  man  who  built  it.  He  moved  with  his  family  into 
the  village  of  Bedford,  and  lived  for  a  few  years  in  the  stone  house  which 
stands  on  one  of  the  corners  of  the  public  square.  When  General  Washing- 
ton passed  through  Pennsylvania  he  rested  at  Bedford,  and  was  the  guest  of 
Mr.  McDermett  and  his  family.  Several  of  the  children  were  in  the  habit  of 
repeating  the  pleasant  things  which  the  General  said  to  them  during  his  visit. 
A  few  years  later  Mr.  McDermett  moved  to  Spruce  creek,  in  Huntingdon 
county,  on  which  a  considerable  iron  business  had  sprung  up.  Here  he  ended 
his  days.  His  wife  survived  him  for  many  years,  and  her  children  experi- 
enced all  the  benefits  of  the  liberal  education  which  her  acquirements  enabled 
her  to  impart  to  them.  While  she  resided  on  Spruce  creek,  a  young  lawyer 
named  David  B.  Porter  came  there  to  learn  the  business  of  making  iron.  He 
had  studied  his  profession  in  Lancaster  and  Harrisburg,  but  was  prevented 
from  practicing  it  by  successive  hemorrhages  of  the  lungs.  He  was  soon 
employed  by  the  Dorseys  as  the  manager  of  their  works,  and  afterwards  for 
many  years  exerted  a  large  influence  as  a  State  Senator  of  Pennsylvania  and 
as  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth.  He  married  one  of  the  daughters  of  Mr. 
McDermett.  In  old  age  Governor  Porter  was,  perhaps,  as  well  informed  in 
regard  to  the  progress  of  the  iron  business  in  Pennsylvania  as  any  other 
citizen  of  the  State.  He  always  regarded  Mr.  McDermett  as  the  chief  pioneer 
in  the  manufacture  of  steel,  and  greatly  regretted  that  he  had  not,  in  his  life- 
time, committed  the  process  to  the  keeping  of  some  other  person. 

To  the  above  we  are  enabled  to  add  some  additional  particulars 
concerning  both  Mr.  McDermett  and  his  distinguished  son-in-law. 


44  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


After  Mr.  McDermett's  removal  to  Spruce  creek,  a  forge  and  steel 
works,  called  Claubaugh,  were  built  on  the  creek  by  his  nephew, 
Thomas  McDermett,  at  which  steel  was  made  by  the  process  that 
was  used  at  Caledonia.  We  presume  that  blister  and  shear  steel 
were  made  by  this  process.  These  works  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Lloyd,  Steel  &  Co.  about  the  time  of  the  death  of  William  Mc- 
Dermett in  1819  or  1820,  by  whom  they  were  conducted  for  a  few 
years,  when  they  were  permanently  abandoned. 

David  R.  Porter  was  first  employed  for  one  year  as  a  clerk 
at  Barree  forge,  and  during  the  following  year  he  was  employed 
as  manager.  He  next  entered  into  partnership  with  Edward  B. 
Patton  in  the  building  of  Sligo  forge,  on  Spruce  creek,  which 
establishment  passed  out  of  their  hands  in  1819,  in  which  year 
Mr.  Porter  was  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  Legislature 
from  Huntingdon  county,  from  which  event  his  successful  politi- 
cal career  may  be  dated.  In  1820  he  married  Josephine  McDer- 
mett, a  lady  of  rare  attainments. 

Many  other  furnaces  and  forges  and  a  few  rolling-mills  were 
built  in  the  upper  part  of  Juniata  valley  after  1800.  In  1832 
there  were  in  Huntingdon  county,  which  then  embraced  Blair,  eight 
furnaces,  ten  forges,  and  one  slitting  and  rolling  mill  in  operation. 
Each  of  the  furnaces  yielded  from  1200  to  1600  tons  of  metal  an- 
nually. In  the  same  year  an  incomplete  list  enumerated  eight 
furnaces  and  as  many  forges  in  Centre  county.  For  many  years 
after  the  beginning  of  this  century  Huntingdon  and  Centre 
counties  constituted  the  principal  iron-producing  district  in  the 
country,  Pittsburgh  and  Eastern  cities  manufacturing  the  iron 
which  they  supplied.  This  prominence  in  the  production  of  iron 
was  maintained  until  after  1842,  when  the  tariff  of  that  year  and 
the  discovery  that  iron  could  be  made  with  anthracite  and  bitumi- 
nous coal  enabled  other  districts  in  the  State  and  country  to  wrest 
from  these  counties  their  iron  sceptre.  In  1850  there  were  in  these 
two  counties  and  in  Blair  county  (formed  out  of  Huntingdon  and 
Bedford  in  1846)  and  in  Mifflin  county  forty-eight  furnaces,  forty- 
two  forges,  and  eight  rolling-mills.,  nearly  all  of  which  were  in 
Huntingdon  and  Centre.  These  two  counties  have  a  long  and  most 
honorable  iron  record. 

There  was  a  very  early  forge  in  Mifflin  county,  the  site  of  which 
is  now  in  Juniata  county.  The  following  account  of  it  is  condensed 
from  a  letter  we  have  received  from  A.  L.  Guss,  Esq.,  a  native  of 
Juniata  county. 


FIRST   IRONWORKS   IN   THE   JUNIATA  VALLEY.  45 


Between  1794  and  1800  a  forge  was  built  on  Licking  creek,  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  Mifflintown,  then  in  Mifflin  but  now  in  Juniata  county,  by 
William  Sterrett  and  Thomas  Beale.  Sterrett  was  the  son  of  an  Indian  trader, 
and  was  the  first  white  male  child  born  within  the  present  limits  of  Juniata 
county,  being  born  in  Bingham  Fort.  Beale  was  a  son  of  William  Beale  who 
settled  at  Tuscarora  Academy  in  1754,  and  who  came  from  East  Cain,  Chester 
county.  The  forge  was  in  operation  for  about  four  years.  Some  of  the  pig 
iron  for  this  forge  was  brought  from  Lancaster  county,  but  most  of  it  came 
from  Centre  county.  The  supply  from  the  latter  county  was  hauled  across 
Seven  mountains  and  loaded  on  arks  at  Lewistown  and  floated  down  the 
Juniata  to  the  place  now  known  as  Patterson,  opposite  Mifflintown,  and  thence 
hauled  to  the  forge.  One  of  these  arks  suffered  shipwreck  above  the  head  of 
"the  island."  Much  of  the  pig  iron  with  which  it  was  loaded  was  recovered 
by  the  farmers  and  used  as  andirons  in  their  houses,  and  in  lime-kilns  to  hold 
up  the  wood.  In  1806  the  forge  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Its  remains  may  be 
seen  at  this  day. 

Hope  furnace,  six  miles  from  Lewistown,  and  Freedom  forge, 
three  miles  from  the  same  place,  were  built  in  1810,  and  were 
probably  the  first  iron  enterprises  within  the  present  limits  of  Mifflin 
county.  General  James  Lewis  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Hope 
furnace.  la  1832  there  were  three  furnaces  and  one  forge  in  Mif- 
flin county,  and  in  1850  there  were  five  furnaces  and  two  forges. 

The  first  iron  enterprise  in  Perry  county  was  probably  a  forge 
on  Cocalamus  creek,  built  in  1807  or  1808  by  General  Lewis,  and 
operated  by  him  in  connection  with  Hope  furnace.  It  was  aban- 
doned about  1817.  It  had  two  fires  and  two  hammers,  and  was 
called  Mount  Vernon.  Juniata  furnace,  three  miles  from  Newport, 
was  built  in  1808  by  David  Watts,  Esq.,  an  eminent  lawyer  of 
Carlisle.  In  1832  it  was  owned  by  Capt.  William  Power.  A  forge 
called  Fio  was  built  on  Sherman's  creek,  about  four  miles  from 
Duncannon,  in  Perry  county,  in  1829,  by  Lindley  &  Speek.  A 
forge  was  built  at  Duncannon  in  1829  by  Stephen  Duncan  and 
John  D.  Mahon.  Duncannon  rolling-mill  was  built  in  1838  by 
Fisher,  Morgan  &  Co.  Montebello  furnace,  at  Duncannon,  was 
built  in  1834;  Perry  furnace,  four  miles  from  Bloomfield,  in  1840; 
Oak  Grove,  four  miles  from  Landisburg,  by  Dr.  Adam  Hayes 
and  his  brother  John,  in  1830 ;  and  Caroline,  at  Bailysburg,  in 
1833.  These  furnaces  were  built  to  use  charcoal,  and  all  have 
been  abandoned.  There  are  several  new  anthracite  furnaces  in 
this  county,  but  nearly  every  one  of  them  is  now  idle. 

Elizabeth  furnace,  near  Antestown,  in  Blair  county,  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  in  the  country  to  use  gas  from  the  tunnel- 
head  for  the  production  of  steam.  The  furnace  was  built  in  1832, 


46  i  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  the  gas  was  first  used  in  1836.  The  improvement  was  patented 
in  1840,  and  as  late  as  1846  the  owner  of  the  furnace,  Martin  Bell, 
charged  other  furnaces  a  royalty  for  the  right  to  use  the  gas. 

Among  the  names  which  have  been  prominent  in  the  iron  manu- 
facture in  the  Juniata  valley,  special  reference  may  be  made,  in 
addition  to  Doctor  Shoenberger  and  others  who  have  been  men- 
tioned, to  Henry  S.  Spang  of  Lancaster  county,  John  Lyon  of 
Cumberland  county,  and  Anthony  Shorb  of  Lebanon  county. 

Early  Ironworks  in  other  Central  and  Eastern  Counties. — In 
Clearfield,  Clinton,  and  Tioga  counties  a  few  furnaces  have  been 
built  since  1811,  when  Washington  furnace,  on  Fishing  creek,  at 
Lamar,  Clinton  county,  was  built.  It  was  in  blast  in  1875.  But 
nearly  every  other  iron  enterprise  in  these  counties  has  proved  to 
be  a  financial  failure.  The  furnace  at  Farrandsville,  near  the 
mouth  of  Lick  run,  in  Clinton  county,  which  was  built  about  1834, 
to  use  coke,  sunk,  in  connection  with  a  nail-mill,  foundry,  and 
other  enterprises,  a  large  sum  of  money,  said  to  be  over  half  a 
million  dollars,  contributed  by  Boston  capitalists,  William  P.  Far- 
rand,  of  Philadelphia,  being  their  agent.  Mill  Hall  furnace,  near 
the  mouth  of  Fishing  creek,  in  this  county,  was  built  in  1831,  by 
George  Bressler,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Harvey,  Wilson,  and 
Kinney,  to  use  charcoal.  In  1857  it  was  converted  into  an  anthra- 
cite furnace.  Sugar  Valley  furnace,  at  Logansville,  in  Clinton 
county,  was  built  in  1834,  and  Washington  forge,  in  the  same 
county,  in  1837.  Lamar  furnace,  at  Salona,  in  the  same  county, 
was  built  in  1831.  Of  the  enterprises  above  named,  Washington 
furnace  and  forge  are  the  only  ones  that  have  not  been  aban- 
doned. In  a  sketch  of  Clearfield  county,  in  Egle's  History  of 
Pennsylvania,  it  is  stated  that  "in  1814  Peter  Karthaus,  a  native 
of  Hamburg,  Germany,  bi*t  afterwards  a  resident  merchant  of  Bal- 
timore, established  a  furnace  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Moshannon, 
or  Mosquito  creek,  in  the  lower  end  of  the  county."  This  furnace 
was  operated  with  partial  success  for  several  years.  Between  1834 
and  1837  it  was  converted  into  a  coke  furnace,  but  was  soon  after- 
wards abandoned.  The  first  furnace  in  Tioga  county  was  built 
at  Blossburg  to  use  charcoal,  but  in  1841  it  was  altered  by  J.  G. 
Boyd  and  another  person  to  use  coke.  It  soon  chilled,  however, 
and  was  abandoned. 

An  early  furnace  in  Ly coming  county  was  built  in  1820,  four 
miles  from  Jersey  Shore,  and  named  Pine  Creek.  In  1832  it 


EARLY   IRONWORKS   IN   OTHER    EASTERN   COUNTIES.  47 


was  owned  by  Kirk,  Kelton  &  Co.  A  forge  was  added  at  the 
same  place  in  1831.  Heshbon  forge,  furnace,  and  rolling-mill, 
on  Lycoming  creek,  five  miles  above  its  mouth,  were  built,  re- 
spectively, in  1828,  1838,  and  1842.  Hepburn  forge,  on  the  same 
creek,  twelve  miles  north  of  Williamsport,  was  built  in  1830, 
and  Crescent  rolling-mill,  one  mile  lower  down  the  stream,  was 
built  in  1842.  About  1835  Astonville  furnace,  near  Ralston,  was 
built  to  use  coke,  but  charcoal  was  soon  substituted.  At  Ralston 
a  charcoal  furnace,  rolling-mill,  nail  factory,  etc.,  were  erected 
by  the  Lycoming  Valley  Iron  Company  in  1837.  In  1850  there 
were  three  furnaces,  three  forges,  and  two  rolling-mills  in  this 
county. 

Esther  furnace,  about  three  miles  south  of  Catawissa,  on  East 
Roaring  creek,  in  Columbia  county,  was  built  in  1802  by  Michael 
Bitter  &  Son,  who  cast  a  great  many  stoves.  In  1836  the  furnace 
was  rebuilt  by  Trago  &  Thomas.  Catawissa  furnace,  on.  Furnace 
run,  near  Mainville,  in  Columbia  county,  was  built  in  1815,  and  a 
forge  was  built  at  the  same  place  in  1824,  on  Catawissa  creek.  In 
1832  there  were  two  furnaces  and  two  forges  in  Catawissa  township. 
In  1837  Briar  Creek  furnace,  two  miles  from  Berwick,  in  Columbia 
county,  was  built.  It  has  not  been  in  blast  since  1849.  In  1845 
Fincher  &  Thomas  built  Penn  charcoal  furnace,  on  Catawissa 
creek,  one  mile  east  of  Catawissa.  All  these  furnaces  have  been 
abandoned,  but  the  forge  at  Mainville  is  still  active.  The  Iron- 
dale  anthracite  furnaces,  two  stacks,  were  built  at  Bloomsburg  in 
1844  and  1845.  Bloom  furnace,  to  use  anthracite,  was  built  on 
the  North  Branch  canal,  near  Bloomsburg,  by  William  McKelvy, 
William  Neal,  and  Jacob  Melick  in  1853,  and  put  in  blast  April 
14,  1854.  A  charcoal  furnace,  called  Liberty,  was  built  at  Moores- 
burg,  in  Montour  county,  in  1838.  The  first  furnace  at  Danville, 
in  Montour  county,  was  built  in  1838  to  use  charcoal,  but  was 
altered  to  use  anthracite  the  following  year,  when  two  other  fur- 
naces were  built  to  use  the  new  fuel,  followed  in  1840  by  a  fourth, 
and  soon  after  by  others.  Danville  rolling-mill  was  built  in  1845, 
Montour  in  1845,  and  Rough-and-Ready  in  1847 — all  at  Danville. 

A  furnace  and  forge  were  in  operation  in  Shamokin  township, 
Northumberland  county,  as  early  as  1830,  probably  Paxinas.  A 
furnace  was  built  at  Shamokin  in  1841  to  use  anthracite.  It  was 
followed  by  Chulasky  furnace  in  1846,  also  anthracite.  A  fur- 
nace and  forge  were  built  near  Hartleytown,  in  Union  county, 
in  1827,  and  called  Berlin.  They  were  followed  by  Forest,  near 


48  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


Milton,  in  1846,  and  Beaver,  near  Middleburg,  in  1848 — both  char- 
coal furnaces.  Union  furnace,  to  use  anthracite,  was  built  in 
1854  at  Winfield,  Union  county,  by  Beaver,  Geddes,  Marsh  &  Co. 

Nescopeck  forge,  near  Berwick,  in  Luzerne  county,  was  built  in 
1824,  and  abandoned  about  1854.  Shickshinny  charcoal  furnace 
was  built  in  1846.  In  1811  Francis  McShane  established  a 
small  cut-nail  manufactory  in  Wilkesbarre,  "and  used  anthracite 
coal  in  smelting  the  iron."  The  first  rolling-mill  in  this  county 
was  Wyoming,  at  Wilkesbarre,  built  in  1842,  and  followed  by 
Lackawanna,  at  Scranton,  in  1844.  Wyoming  was  abandoned 
about  1850.  Luzerne  is  now  one  of  the  most  prominent  iron 
counties  in  the  State.  It  owes  most  of  this  prominence  to  the 
courage,  energy,  and  business  sagacity  of  two  brothers,  George  W. 
and  Selden  T.  Scranton,  and  their  cousin,  Joseph  H.  Scranton.  One 
of  the  five  furnaces  of  the  Lackawanna  Iron  and  Coal  Company 
at  Scranton,  in  the  organization  of  which  they  were  the  leading 
spirits,  is  the  widest  in  the  State — 23  feet  at  the  bosh,  and  another 
was  the  highest  in  the  State — 80  feet,  but  now  reduced  to  70  feet. 

A  forge  was  built  at  Stroudsburg,  in  Monroe  county,  in  1829, 
called  Analomink.  In  1843  Day  styled  it  a  "large  forge." 

There  is  some  obscurity  concerning  the  early  iron  enterprises  of 
Dauphin  county,  arising  partly  from  its  connection  with  Lancaster 
county  down  to  1785  and  with  Lebanon  county  down  to  1813,  ren- 
dering it  difficult  to  separate  the  enterprises  of  Dauphin  county 
from  those  of  the  other  counties.  Iron  was  doubtless  made  within 
its  limits  as  early  as  1800,  and  probably  by  members  of  the  Grubb 
family.  Henry  Fulton  established  a  "nailery"  in  Dauphin  county 
in  1785,  probably  at  Harrisburg.  It  is  said  to  have  been  "  only  a 
little  remote  from  a  smithy."  Lesley  describes  Mount  Vernon  fur- 
nace, built  in  1800,  and  a  forge  of  the  same  name,  on  the  Conewago 
river,  "  on  the  borders  of  Dauphin  county."  In  1805  there  were 
two  furnaces  and  two  forges  in  the  county.  Oakdale  forge,  at 
Elizabethville,  appears  to  have  been  built  in  1830.  Victoria  fur- 
nace, on  Clark's  creek,  was  built  in  1830.  Gordon,  in  his  Gazet- 
teer of  Pennsylvania,  says  there  were  three  forges  and  two  furnaces 
in  the  county  in  1832.  Emeline  furnace,  at  Dauphin,  was  built 
about  1835.  The  first  furnace  at  Middletown  in  this  county  was 
built  in  1833,  and  a  second  furnace  was  built  in  1849,  both  cold- 
blast  charcoal.  Manada  furnace,  at  West  Hanover,  was  built  in 
1837  by  E.  B.  &  C.  B.  Grubb.  The  first  rolling-mill  in  the  county 
was  the  old  Harrisburg  mill,  at  Harrisburg,  built  in  1836.  Fair- 


FIRST    IRONWORKS   WEST   OF   THE   ALLEGHENIES.  49 


view  rolling-mill,  on  the  Cumberland  side  of  the  Susquehanna, 
two  miles  above  Harrisburg,  was  built  in  1831.  The  first  anthra- 
cite furnace  in  the  county  was  built  at  Harrisburg  in  1845  by 
Governor  David  R.  Porter.  Hon.  Simon  Cameron  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  iron  interest  of  this  county.  The  Penn- 
sylvania steel  works,  the  first  Bessemer  steel  enterprise  in  the  State, 
are  in  this  county.  They  went  into  operation  in  1867. 

Chestnut  Grove  furnace,  at  Whitestown,  in  Adams  county,  was 
built  in  1830.  About  1830  there  was  a  furnace  in  this  county 
named  Maria,  owned  by  Stevens  &  Paxton  (Thaddeus  Stevens). 

Schuylkill  county  has  had  several  forges,  mainly  at  or  near  Port 
Clinton,  the  first  of  which  at  that  place  appears  to  have  been  built 
in  1801.  In  1800  Messrs.  Reese  &  Thomas  made  preparations 
toward  building  a  furnace  and  forge  where  Pottsville  now  stands. 
Prior  to  1804  a  small  charcoal  furnace  was  built  by  them  at  this 
place.  In  1807  Greenwood  furnace  and  forge  were  erected  at 
Pottsville  by  John  Pott,  the  founder  of  the  town,  which  was  laid 
out  in  1816.  In  1832  Gordon  gave  the  ironworks  then  in  opera- 
tion in  Schuylkill  county  as  follows :  Greenwood  furnace  and  forge, 
and  Schuylkill,  Brunswick,  Pine  Grove,  Mahanoy,  and  Swatara 
forges.  A  furnace  called  Swatara,  six  miles  from  Pine  Grove,  was 
built  in  1830,  which  was  followed  by  Stanhope  furnace,  still  nearer 
to  Pine  Grove,  in  1835.  Other  iron  enterprises  have  since  been 
established  in  this  county. 

First  Ironworks  West  of  the  Alleghenies. — The  first  iron  manu- 
factured west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains  was  made  in  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania.  F.  H.  Oliphant,  of  Uniontown,  awards  to 
John  Hayden,  of  Fayette  county,  the  honor  of  having  made  "  the 
first  iron  in  a  smith's  fire"  as  early  as  1790.  Taking  a  sample 
on  horseback  to  Philadelphia,  he  enlisted  John  Nicholson  of  that 
city  in  a  scheme  for  building  Fairfield  furnace,  seven  miles  south 
of  Uniontown,  on  George's  creek,  and  the  two  "then  went  on  to 
build  the  furnace."  Mr.  Oliphant  thinks  this  was  the  first  fur- 
nace, the  date  of  the  erection  of  which  he  fixes  at  "  about  1790," 
but  Bishop  says  that  the  first  furnace  "was  built  by  Turnbull  & 
Marmie,  of  Philadelphia,  on  Jacob's  creek,  between  Fayette  and 
Westmoreland  counties,  fifteen  miles  above  its  entrance  into  the 
Youghiogheny  river.  It  was  first  blown  in  November  1,  1790, 
and  produced  a  superior  quality  of  metal  both  for  castings  and 
bar  iron,  some  of  it  having  been  tried  the  same  day  in  a  forge 


50  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


which  the  proprietors  had  erected  at  the  place."  The  date  given 
here  is  correct,  but  the  location  given  to  the  furnace  is  erroneous. 
Craig,  in  his  History  of  Pittsburgh,  (1851,)  gives  currency  to  the 
error  in  locating  this  furnace.  It  was  built  two  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  Jacob's  creek,  on  the  Fayette  bank,  and  called 
the  Alliance  iron  works.  The  stack  is  still  standing,  but  in  ruins. 
The  furnace  was  successfully  operated  for  many  years.  John 
Holkar,  the  French  naval  agent  at  Philadelphia,  was  a  silent 
partner  with  Turnbull  &  Marmie.  The  firm  was  dissolved  August 
22,  1793,  Peter  Marmie  taking  the  works  on  Jacob's  creek,  and 
William  Turnbull  retiring.  Craig  gives  an  extract  from  a  letter 
by  Major  Craig,  Deputy  Q.  M.  General  and  Military  Storekeeper 
at  Fort  Pitt,  to  General  Knox,  dated  January  12, 1792,  as  follows: 
"As  there  is  no  six-pound  shot  here,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to 
engage  four  hundred  at  Turnbull  &  Marmie's  furnace,  which  is  now 
in  blast." 

Mr.  Oliphant  says : — "  I  find  by  my  father's  books  that  he  and 
his  brother  Andrew  (John  and  Andrew  Oliphant)  bought  a  half 
interest  in  Fairfield  in  1795,  the  parties  carrying  it  on  six  months 
alternately  for  a  few  years.  It  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  J.  &  A. 
Oliphant."  This  proves  that  the  furnace  was  built  before  1795. 
Hon.  James  Veech  says  that  it  was  built  in  1792. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1871,  Mr.  Veech  published  in  the  Pitts- 
burgh Commercial  a  communication  concerning  early  ironmaking 
in  Fayette  county,  from  which  we  quote  the  following  notice  of 
the  pioneer,  John  Hayden  : 

In  the  spring  of  1789,  John  Hayden,  who  had  lived  in  the  red-ore  iron 
region  of  New  Jersey,  hauled  over  the  mountains,  from  Hagerstown  to 
Brownsville,  Fayette  county,  a  four-horse  wagon  load  of  goods  for  Jacob 
Bowman,  who  had  come  from  the  former  to  the  latter  place  in  1787,  at  which 
he  was  a  prominent  merchant  and  citizen  for  half  a  century.  Hayden  was 
nearly  a  month  in  making  the  trip — hauling  2,100  pounds  at  $3  per  hundred. 
Pleased  with  the  beautiful  valley  at  the  western  base  of  the  Laurel  Hill 
Mountain — the  last  of  the  chain  south  of  the  Youghiogheny,  and  tired  of 
teaming,  he  resolved  to  settle  in  "  the  West,"  and  at  once  removed  to  near 
Uniontown.  He  soon  bought  out  a  settler  near  to  where  is  now  "  Fairchance 
Oliphant's)  ironworks,"  and  fixed  his  abode  upon  it  in  the  spring  of  1790. 
On  the  land  was  a  log  dwelling,  not  yet  chunked  and  daubed ;  and  as  winter 
approached,  Hayden  betook  himself  to  stopping  the  interstices.  For  this  he 
must  needs  have  mortar,  which,  he  thought,  could  not  be  well  made  without 
lime  or  calcined  oyster  or  clam  shells.  As  the  latter  could  not  be  had,  he  looked 
around  for  limestone.  In  gathering  what  he  supposed  were  limestones  from 
the  bed  of  a  stream,  he  gathered — unwittingly— "  blue  lump"  iron  ore,  so 


FIRST   IRONWORKS   WEST   OF   THE   ALLEGHENIES.  51 


unlike  the  Jersey  ores  that  he  never  suspected  the  cheat.  He  made  up  a  pile 
of  it  to  burn,  with  wood,  and,  after  supposing  it  well  burnt,  plunged  lump  after 
lump  of  it  into  water  and  found  it  wouldn't  slick,  and  that  it  was  as  heavy  as 
when  he  took  it  from  the  run.  Coming  to  the  conjecture  that  it  was  some 
new  form — or  color — of  iron  ore,  he  resolved  to  test  it.  The  expedient  was 
an  improvised  furnace  upon  a  blacksmith's  hearth ;  but  none  of  the  smiths 
in  the  neighborhood  would  entertain  the  experiment.  Having  a  Jersey 
acquaintance,  a  smith,  in  the  vicinity  of  Connellsville,  he  had  resort  to  him. 
He  had  faith  enough  in  the  blue  lumps  to  allow  the  experiment  on  his 
hearth.  After  long  and  repeated  efforts  at  heating  and  hammering,  the 
result  was  a  piece  of  iron,  as  Hayden  used  to  say,  "  about  as  big  as  a  harrow- 
tooth."  Elated  with  his  discovery,  Hayden  put  his  "harrow-tooth"  and 
some  of  the  ore  in  his  saddle-bags  and  rode  off  to  New  Jersey,  to  enlist  some 
of  his  iron  acquaintances  in  the  project  of  building  a  furnace  and  forge  in 
Fayette.  None  of  them  would  join  him  in  the  enterprise.  He  came  back  to 
Philadelphia,  where,  after  his  discovery  became  known,  he  succeeded  in 
securing  the  favor  of  the  celebrated  John  Nicholson,  then  State  Comptroller, 
and  in  the  zenith  of  his  fame  and  speculations,  which  were  ultimately  so 
disastrous  to  himself  and  the  finances  of  the  Commonwealth.  Nicholson 
soon  after  joined  him,  and  thereupon  "took  up"  large  tracts  of  land  in  and 
near  the  base  of  Laurel  Hill,  embracing  the  territory  of  Hayden's  "blue 
lump"  discoveries.  Hayden,  about  1792,  with  the  aid  of  Nicholson,  built 
a  little  furnace  called  Fairfield,  near  to  where  is  now  Fairchance ;  but  his 
patron  went  down  and  John  Hayden  followed ;  and  in  a  few  years  the  father 
of  F.  H.  Oliphant  succeeded  to  his  furnace  and  possessions.  It  may  be  set 
down  as  certain  that  John  Hayden,  in  1790,  made  the  first  iron  west  of  the 
mountains.  But  his  furnace  was  not  in  operation  until  after  others,  profiting 
by  his  discovery,  had  built  furnaces  and  begun  the  manufacture  of  castings. 

Union  furnace,  now  Dunbar  furnace,  was  built  by  Colonel  Isaac 
Meason,  on  Dunbar  creek,  four  miles  south  of  Connellsville,  in  1791. 
The  tradition  is  preserved  that  Union  furnace  was  put  in  blast  in 
March,  1791.  We  have  already  stated  that  Turnbull  &  Marmie's 
furnace  was  put  in  blast  in  November,  1790.  Union  furnace 
was  succeeded  in  1793  by  another  and  a  larger  furnace  of  the  same 
name,  built  near  the  same  site  by  Colonel  Meason  and  Moses  Dil- 
lon. Another  early  furnace  was  Fairchance,  six  miles  south  of 
Uniontown,  on  George's  creek,  built  by  John  Hayden,  William 
Squire,  and  Thomas  Wynn  in  1794.  J.  &  A.  Oliphant  bought 
it  in  a  dilapidated  condition  about  1805.  It  was  rebuilt  two  or 
three  times,  and  kept  in  operation  until  1873.  A  forge  was  built 
near  the  furnace  about  1794.  Another  of  Colonel  Meason's  enter- 
prises was  Mount  Vernon  furnace,  on  Mountz's  creek,  eight  miles 
east  of  its  mouth,  built  before  July,  1800,  as  appears  from  an 
old  advertisement.  In  1801  it  was  rebuilt,  as  appears  from  an 


52  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


inscription  which  is  yet  preserved.  The  stack  was  built  of  large 
blocks  of  sandstone,  and  is  still  standing.  It  is  thirty-three  feet 
high  and  eight  feet  wide  at  the  bosh.  The  furnace  was  last  operated 
in  1824.  Laurel  furnace,  on  Laurel  run,  near  Union  furnace,  was 
built  by  Mockbee  &  Wurts  before  1800,  and  subsequently  rebuilt  by 
James  Paull  on  another  site.  The  firm  named  also  built  Hampton 
forge,  to  work  up  the  pig  metal  of  Laurel  furnace.  In  May,  1800, 
John  Ferrel,  manager,  advertised  for  sale  castings,  "neat,  light, 
and  tough,"  at  $100  a  ton  ;  also  bar  iron.  He  expected  soon  to 
have  "some  rolled  iron,  nail  rods,  and  cut  nails,"  the  latter  at 
eight  cents  a  pound.  Redstone  furnace,  three  miles  east  of  Union- 
town,  was  built  in  1800.  Joseph  Huston  was  one  of  its  first 
owners,  and  was  followed  by  his  nephew,  Judge  John  Huston,  and 
afterwards  by  John  Snyder.  A  forge  on  the  head  waters  of 
George's  creek  was  owned  by  Thomas  Lewis  and  Philip  Jenkins 
in  1800,  when  it  was  advertised  for  sale  by  the  sheriff  Spring 
Hill  furnace  was  built  in  1805  by  Robert  Jones,  and  afterwards 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Jesse  Evans.  Mary  Ann  furnace,  nine  miles 
from  Uniontown,  was  built  by  Richard  Lewis  in  1800,  and  in  1818 
was  bought  by  the  present  owner,  Joseph  Victor,  who  lived  on  the 
premises  in  1877,  at  the  age  of  about  90  years.  He  rebuilt  or  re- 
paired the  furnace,  and  changed  its  name  to  Fairview. 

Other  furnaces  were  built  in  Fayette  county  early  in  the  present 
century,  among  them  the  following :  Pine  Grove,  eleven  miles  from 
Uniontown,  built  about  1805,  and  owned  in  1857  by  Basil  Brown- 
field  ;  Mount  Etna,  one  and  a  half  miles  above  Connellsville ;  Cen- 
tre, nine  miles  from  Uniontown,  on  Dunbar  creek ;  Fayette,  twelve 
miles  from  Connellsville ;  Little  Falls,  twelve  miles  from  Union- 
town,  by  Nathaniel  Gibson ;  St.  John's,  built  by  James  Paull, 
eight  miles  from  Connellsville.  There  was  a  forge  at  Little  Falls 
as  early  as  1809.  Breakneck  or  Findley  furnace  was  built  about 
1826,  four  miles  northeast  of  Connellsville.  In  1805  there  were 
five  furnaces  and  six  forges  in  Fayette  county.  In  1811  there 
were  ten  blast  furnaces,  one  air  furnace,  eight  forges,  three  rolling 
and  slitting  mills,  one  steel  furnace,  and  five  trip-hammers.  The 
steel  furnace  was  owned  by  Morris  Truman  &  Co.,  at  Bridgeport, 
adjoining  Brownsville,  and  made  good  steel.  In  1816  Colonel 
Isaac  Meason  built  a  mill  for  puddling  iron  and  rolling  bars  at 
Plumsock,  in  this  county,  of  which  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Fayette  county  was  a  great  iron  centre  at 
the  close  of  the  last  and  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 


THE    MANUFACTURE    OF   WROUGHT   IRON   IN    FORGES.  53 


For  many  years  Pittsburgh  and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  valleys 
were  almost  entirely  supplied  by  it  with  castings  of  all  kinds,  and 
with  pig  and  bar  iron.  Long  before  1850,  however,  the  fires  in 
most  of  its  furnaces  and  forges  were  suffered  to  die  out.  In  1849 
only  four  of  its  furnaces  made  iron.  In  1876  the  county  con- 
tained five  furnaces  and  one  rolling-mill. 

A  furnace  named  Mary  Ann  was  erected  at  a  very  early  day 
about  twenty  miles  from  Uniontown,  in  Greene  county,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  Ten  Mile  creek  from  Clarksville.  It  was  aban- 
doned long  before  1820.  Hon.  James  Veech  writes  us  that  he 
remembers  the  ruins  of  it  well.  The  stack  was  visible  for  some 
time  after  1840.  He  has  an  advertisement  by  "Samuel  Harper, 
agent  for  the  proprietors,"  dated  July  23,  1810,  for  its  sale,  naming 
it  as  "  The  Iron  Works,"  late  the  property  of  Captain  James  Robin- 
son. It  was  probably  built  about  1800.  Gordon,  in  his  Gazetteer, 
(1832,)  says  that  "there  were  formerly  in  operation  on  Ten-Mile 
creek  a  forge  and  furnace,  but  they  have  been  long  idle  and  are 
falling  to  decay."  Day,  in  his  Historical  Collections,  (1843,)  says 
"  a  forge  and  furnace  were  formerly  in  operation  near  the  mouth 
of  Ten-Mile  creek,  but  were  suffered  to  decline."  These  references 
are  clearly  to  Robinson's  works.  We  think  that  Greene  county  has 
never  had  any  other  iron  enterprise  within  Its  limits. 

From  1790  to  1800  it  is  probable  that  twenty  furnaces  were 
built  in  Pennsylvania.  One  of  these  was  located  within  about 
three  miles  of  Pittsburgh,  near  the  present  suburb  of  Shady  Side. 
It  was  soon  abandoned.  We  shall  refer  to  it  farther  on.  The 
first  nail  factory  west  of  the  Alleghenies  was  built  at  Browns- 
ville, before  1800,  by  Jacob  Bowman,  at  which  wrought  nails,  made 
by  hand,  were  produced  in  large  quantities. 

Description  of  the  Primitive  Method  of  Manufacturing  Wrought 
Iron. — From  a  letter  received  by  us  from  Mr.  Oliphant  we  quote 
an  interesting  description  of  the  early  method  of  manufacturing 
wrought  iron  from  the  ore  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  It  is  the 
same  that  was  in  use  at  an  earlier  day  in  other  sections  of  the  State. 

The  first  wrought  iron  made  west  of  the  Alleghenies  was  by  blooming  the 
ore  from  the  Fairfield  mines,  blue  lump,  by  Mr.  John  Hayden,  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  Fairfield  furnace.  The  process  was  to  burn  the  ore  and  then 
pulverize  it  by  stamping  very  fine.  Then  it  was  placed  in  an  open  fire,  18 
inches  square  by  15  inches  deep,  formed  of  stone,  having  a  tuyere  5  inches 


54  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA, 


below  the  top,  one  inch  in  diameter,  supplied  by  blast  from  tubs,  and  water- 
wheel  to  drive  the  tubs,  making  a  half  pound  to  the  inch:  fuel,  charcoal. 
Work  commenced  by  filling  the  open  fire  with  charcoal ;  when  lighted  up 
fully  applying  the  blast  in  the  tuyere ;  then  applying  the  pulverized  ore  with 
a  shovel  by  putting  it  on  slowly  above  the  blast,  and  as  it  melted  the  iron  ran 
down  below  the  blast,  the  cinder  being  drawn  off,  and  when  the  space  below 
the  blast  was  filled  up  to  the  tuyere,  being  in  a  solid  mass,  it  was  raised  out 
by  a  bar  100  Ibs.  in  weight,  and  taken  to  a  hammer  weighing  500  Ibs.,  driven 
by  a  water-wheel  at  the  rate  of  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  strokes  per  minute. 
The  chunk  was  hammered  into  a  bloom ;  then  one  end  was  heated  in  the  same 
fire  to  a  welding  heat,  and  drawn  into  what  was  called  an  anchony.  When 
some  twenty  or  thirty  of  these  were  made,  they  then  enlarged  the  fire  to  20 
inches  square  and  20  inches  deep,  and  heated  the  bloom  or  large  end,  and  drew 
it  out  under  the  hammer  into  bars  of  various  lengths,  from  five  to  ten  feet  long, 
and  various  widths  and  thicknesses,  ready  for  market. 

When  the  furnaces  were  got  under  way,  and  pig  metal  was  being  made,  old- 
fashioned  Dutch  fires  were  made  to  work  the  pig  metal  into  anchonies,  and 
draw  it  out  into  bars.  Some  ten  or  twelve  of  these  forges  were  built  up 
through  the  county  by  the  persons  owning  the  furnaces,  J.  &  A.  Oliphant 
putting  up  the  first  two  on  George's  creek,  six  miles  below  the  furnaces,  and 
called  Sylvan  forges.  These  forges  were  all  built  alike,  four  fires  each,  three 
for  making  the  anchonies  and  one  a  chaffery  to  draw  them  out  into  bars. 

All  the  furnaces  and  forges  dropped  off  one  by  one  until  all  were  stopped 
in  the  county,  except  Fairchance  and  Redstone,  the  latter  going  occasionally 
from  1832  up  to  1856.  Fairchance,  building  a  rolling-mill  in  1834,  supplied 
this  whole  section  with  iron,  nails,  etc.,  for  twenty  years,  the  only  ironworks 
in  constant  operation.  Fairchance  built  the  rolling-mill,  making  all  the 
machinery  castings  out  of  the  furnace  iron,  even  the  large  fly-wheels.  The 
steam  cylinder  and  blast  cylinder  were  brought  from  abroad. 


The  First  Rolling -Mills  West  of  the  Alleghenies. — Doubtless  roll- 
ing and  slitting  mills,  for  the  manufacture  of  nail  rods  principally, 
were  established  west  of  the  Alleghenies  soon  after  the  first  furnace 
and  forge  were  built  in  1790,  but  specific  information  concerning  the 
first  ventures  of  this  kind  is  wanting.  Cramer's  Pittsburgh  Alma- 
nac for  1812  says  that  in  1811  there  were  three  such  mills  in  Fayette 
county.  The  first  rolling-mill  of  any  kind  west  of  the  Allegheny 
mountains  of  which  we  can  obtain  exact  information  is  described 
in  the  Almanac  for  1813,  issued  in  1812,  as  follows:  "Jackson  & 
Updegraif,  on  Cheat  river,  have  in  operation  a  furnace,  forge,  roll- 
ing and  slitting  mill,  and  nail  factory — nails  handsome,  iron  tough." 
Like  all  the  rolling  and  slitting  mills  of  that  day  and  of  many 
preceding  days,  the  Cheat  river  mill  neither  puddled  iron  nor  rolled 
bar  iron,  but  rolled  only  sheet  iron  and  nail  plates  with  plain  rolls 


ROLLING-MILLS    WEST   OF   THE   ALLEGHENIES.  55 


from  blooms  heated  in  a  hollow  fire  and  hammered  under  a  tilt- 
hammer.  The  nail  plates  were  slit  into  nail  rods  by  a  series  of 
revolving  disks.  In  reference  to  the  Cheat  river  enterprise,  Mr. 
Veech  writes  us  that  its  location  was  in  West  Virginia,  on  the  road 
from  Uniontown  to  Morgantown,  about  three  miles  south  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  line,  and  eight  miles  north  of  Morgantown. 

The  honor  of  having  erected  the  first  rolling-mill  at  Pittsburgh 
is  undoubtedly  due  to  Christopher  Cowan,  an  Englishman,  who 
built  a  mill  here  in  1812.  But  this  mill  had  no  puddling  furna- 
ces, nor  was  it  built  to  roll  bar  iron.  It  was  intended  to  and  cer- 
tainly did  manufacture  sheet  iron,  nail  and  spike  rods,  shovels, 
spades,  etc.  The  same  number  of  the  Pittsburgh  Almanac  from 
which  we  have  last  quoted  says  of  this  enterprise :  "  Christopher 
Cowan  is  erecting  a  powerful  steam-engine,  70  horse-power,  to  run 
a  rolling-mill,  slitting-mill,  and  tilt  hammer ;  to  make  iron,  nails, 
sheet  iron,  spike  and  nail  rods,  shovels  and  tongs,  spades,  scythes, 
sickles,  hoes,  axes,  frying  pans,  cutting  knives,  chains,  plough  irons, 
hatchets,  claw  hammers,  chizzels,  augurs,  spinning-wheel  irons,  and 
smiths'  vises— capital  $100,000." 

The  first  rolling-mill  erected  west  of  the  Alleghenies  to  puddle 
iron  and  roll  iron  bars  was  built  in  1816  and  1817  on  Redstone 
creek,  about  midway  between  Connellsville  and  Brownsville,  at  a 
place  called  Middletown,  better  known  as  Plumsock,  in  Fayette 
county.  The  enterprise  was  undertaken  by  Colonel  Isaac  Mea- 
son,  of  Union  furnace,  who  had  forges  at  Plumsock.  Thomas  C. 
Lewis  was  chief  engineer  in  the  erection  of  the  mill,  and  George 
Lewis,  his  brother,  was  turner  and  roller.  They  were  Welshmen. 
The  project  was  conceived  by  Thomas  C.  Lewis,  and  by  him  pre- 
sented to  Colonel  Meason.  This  mill  was  much  more  complete 
than  Cowan's.  Mr.  Oliphant  tells  us  that  it  was  built  "  for  making 
bars  of  all  sizes  and  hoops  for  cutting  into  nails."  He  says  further 
that  "  the  iron  was  refined  by  blast,  and  then  puddled.  It  was 
kept  in  operation  up  to  1824,  the  latter  part  of  the  time  by  Mr. 
Palmer."  A  flood  in  the  Redstone  caused  the  partial  destruction 
of  the  mill,  the  machinery  of  which  was  subsequently  taken  to 
Brownsville. 

In  an  interview  with  Samuel  C.  Lewis,  of  Pittsburgh,  the  son 
of  Thomas  C.  Lewis,  he  informs  us  that  his  father  and  his  uncle 
George  Lewis  not  only  superintended  the  erection  and  put  in 
operation  the  mill  for  which  these  honors  are  claimed,  but  that 
he  himself  as  a  boy  assisted  in  rolling  the  first  bar  of  iron,  his 


56  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


uncle  being  the  chief  roller.  In  addition  to  Thomas  C.  and  George 
Lewis,  two  other  brothers  participated  in  the  work  of  starting  the 
mill  and  in  the  rolling  of  the  first  bar — Samuel  Lewis,  heater,  and 
James  Lewis,  catcher.  At  the  same  time  Henry  W.  Lewis,  another 
brother,  was  a  clerk  in  the  office.  Samuel  C.  Lewis,  our  informant, 
was  a  boy  of  fifteen  years,  and  "  heaved  up  "  behind  the  rolls.  The 
mill  contained  two  puddling  furnaces,  one  refinery,  one  heating 
furnace,  and  one  tilt-hammer.  Raw  coal  was  used  in  the  puddling 
and  heating  furnaces  and  coke  in  the  refinery.  James  Pratt  worked 
the  refinery,  and  David  Adams  was  the  puddler.  The  mill  went 
into  operation  in  September,  1817.  Mr.  Lewis  tells  us  that  his  father 
and  uncle,  being  skilled  workmen,  and  therefore  prohibited  by  an 
English  statute  from  leaving  their  native  land,  were  compelled  to 
smuggle  their  passage  across  the  Atlantic.  He  further  informs  us 
that  his  father,  before  going  to  Plumsock,  unsuccessfully  endeavored 
to  induce  Eastern  ironmasters  to  introduce  puddling  furnaces  and 
rolls  for  bar  iron. 


Was  Plumsock  the  First  Mill  to  Roll  Bars  and  Puddle  Pig  Iron  f— 
We  think  it  extremely  probable  that  at  this  mill  was  done  the 
first  puddling  and  that  here  was  rolled  the  first  bar  iron  in  America. 
Careful  inquiry  in  well-informed  quarters  fails  to  discover  the  exist- 
ence in  the  United  States  of  any  rolling-mill  to  roll  bar  iron  and 
puddle  pig  iron  prior  to  the  enterprise  at  Plumsock  in  1816.  Ralph 
Crooker,  of  the  Bay  State  ironworks,  at  Boston,  the  oldest  rolling- 
mill  superintendent  in  the  United  States,  writes  us  that  the  first 
bar  iron  rolled  in  New  England  was  rolled  at  the  Boston  iron- 
works, on  the  Mill  Dam  in  Boston,  in  1825,  and  that  the  first  pud- 
dling done  in  New  England  was  at  Boston,  on  the  Mill  Dam,  by 
Lyman  Ralston  &  Co.,  in  1835.  We  can  not  learn  of  any  mill  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania  that  either  puddled  iron  or  rolled  bars  as 
early  as  1816. 

We  have,  however,  obtained  the  curious  information  that  a  patent 
was  granted  to  Clemens  Rentgen,  of  Kimberton,  Chester  county, 
Pa.,  as  late  as  June  27,  1810,  for  a  machine  to  roll  iron  in  round 
shapes,  proving  that  Cort's  rolls  had  not  then  been  introduced  into 
the  United  States.  Mr.  Rentgen  was  a  native  of  the  Palatinate, 
(now  Bavaria,)  in  Germany,  and  emigrated  from  the  town  of 
Zweibriicken  in  1791  to  Kimberton,  about  six  miles  from  Phoenix- 
ville,  where  he  purchased  a  forge  on  French  creek.  At  Knauer- 
town  he  built  steel  works,  at  which  he  undertook  to  manufacture 


THE    FIRST    COMPLETE    ROLLING-MILL    IN    PENNSYLVANIA.       57 


steel.  The  steel  works  were,  however,  not  successful.  His  forge 
was  continued,  and  to  it  he  added  a  small  rolling-mill.  His  various 
enterprises  were  known  as  the  "Pikeland  works,"  Pikeland  being 
the  name  of  the  township  in  which  they  were  situated.  On  the 
17th  day  of  November,  1796,  he  obtained  a  patent  for  "forging 
bolts  or  round  iron,"  which  he  described  as  follows : 

This  machine  consists  of  a  strong  platform,  of  a  given  size,  in  which  are 
fixed  two  upright  posts.  In  these  posts  is  fixed  an  axle  going  through  the 
handle  of  a  concave  hammer  or  sledge,  at  the  extreme  end  of  which  is  fixed 
a  cogwheel,  whose  cogs,  operating  on  the  lever  or  handle  of  the  said  concave 
hammer  or  sledge,  cause  it  to  operate  upon  a  concave  anvil  upon  which  the 
iron  to  be  wrought  is  placed.  The  concavity  of  this  anvil  is  about  one-eighth 
of  the  dimensions  of  that  of  the  said  hammer  or  sledge.  This  machine  is  set 
in  motion  by  water  or  any  other  adequate  power,  by  wheels  operating  upon 
the  said  cogwheel. 

On  the  27th  day  of  June,  1810,  Mr.  Rentgen  obtained  a  patent, 
noticed  above,  for  "rolling  iron  round,  for  ship  bolts  and  other 
uses,"  which  he  thus  described  : 

This  machine  consists  of  two  large  iron  rollers,  fixed  in  a  strong  frame. 
Each  roller  has  concavities  turned  in  them,  meeting  each  other  to  form  per- 
fect round  holes,  of  from  half  inch  to  one  and  three-quarter  inches  or  any 
other  size  in  diameter,  through  which  rollers  the  iron  is  drawn  from  the  mouth 
of  the  furnace  with  great  dispatch,  and  the  iron  is  then  manufactured  better 
and  more  even  than  it  is  possible  to  forge  it  out.  The  force  applied  to  the 
end  of  these  rollers  is  like  that  applied  to  mills. 

The  original  patents  of  Mr.  Rentgen  have  been  shown  to  us  by 
his  descendant,  Professor  William  H.  Wahl,  of  Philadelphia.  We 
learn  from  this  gentleman  that  Mr.  Rentgen  made  some  use  of  his 
patent  anvil  and  hammer,  and  that,  before  obtaining  the  patent  in 
1810  for  his  method  of  rolling  round  iron,  he  built  an  experimental 
set  of  rolls,  which  were  replaced  after  the  patent  was  granted  by 
a  permanent  set,  with  which  he  rolled  round  iron  as  early  as  1812 
or  1813,  some  of  which  was  for  the  Navy  Department  of  the  United 
States  Government.  We  do  not  learn  that  he  ever  rolled  bar  iron, 
and  it  is  not  claimed  that  he  used  puddling  furnaces. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  which  may  not  be  known  to  many  of  the 
present  generation  of  American  ironmasters,  that  pig  iron  has  been 
puddled  in  this  country  with  wood,  as  it  is  now  at  some  places  in 
Sweden ;  and  by  the  term  wood  we  do  not  mean  charcoal.  Prior 
to  1850  puddling  with  wood  was  done  at  Horatio  Ames's  works,  at 


58  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


Falls  Village,  in  Connecticut ;  and  the  Katahdin  ironworks,  in 
Maine,  puddled  with  wood  in  that  year.  From  1821  to  1825  the 
Fall  River  rolling-mill,  in  Massachusetts,  used  wood  in  heating 
iron  for  nail  plates  in  reverberatory  furnaces. 


Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry  at  Pittsburgh. — The  iron  industry 
of  Pittsburgh,  the  most  important  iron  centre  in  the  country,  did 
not  have  an  existence  in  the  last  century,  although  a  blast  furnace 
was  built  within  a  few  miles  of  the  town  before  its  close,  as  already 
stated.  As  the  site  of  this  blast  furnace  is  now  embraced  within 
the  city  limits,  we  give  place  here  to  a  full  account  of  it  and  of  its 
founder,  which  we  have  derived  from  trustworthy  original  sources. 

George  Anshutz,  the  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  at  Pitts- 
burgh, was  an  Alsacian  by  birth,  Alsace  at  the  time  being  under 
the  control  of  France.  He  Avas  born  November  28,  1753.  He 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  iron  business  by  having  the  man- 
agement of  a  foundry  in  the  vicinity  of  Strasbiirg.  In  1789  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  soon  afterwards  located  at  a 
place  now  known  as  Shady  Side,  where  he  built  a  small  furnace, 
probably  completing  it  in  1792.  In  1794  the  furnace  was  abandon- 
ed. It  had  been  expected  that  ore  could  be  obtained  in  the  vicin- 
ity, but  the  expectation  was  not  realized.  The  neighborhood  produ- 
ced little  else  than  red  shale.  Recourse  was  next  had  to  a  deposit 
of  iron  ore  on  Roaring  run,  an  affluent  of  the  Kiskiminetas,  in  the 
southeastern  corner  of  Armstrong  county,  from  which  supplies  were 
received  in  arks  at  a  point  on  the  Allegheny  near  to  the  furnace. 
Some  ore  was  also  brought  by  difficult  wagon  transportation  from 
the  vicinity  of  Fort  Ligonier  and  Laughlinstown,  in  Westmoreland 
county.  But  the  expense  entailed  in  bringing  ore  from  localities  so 
difficult  of  access  in  those  days  was  too  great  to  justify  the  con- 
tinued working  of  the  furnace.  After  its  abandonment  Anshutz 
accepted  the  management  of  John  Probst's  Westmoreland  furnace, 
near  Laughlinstowu,  and  continued  there  about  one  year,  whence  he 
removed  to  Huntingdon  county,  where,  in  connection  with  Judge 
John  Gloninger  and  Mordecai  Massey,  he  built  Huntingdon  furnace 
in  1796.  Massey  owned  the  land,  Gloninger  furnished  the  money, 
and  Anshutz  supplied  the  necessary  experience  and  skill,  with  an 
understanding,  we  believe,  that  he  was  subsequently  to  become  a 
partner.  In  1808  he  became  the  owner  of  one-fourth  interest  in 
the  furnace.  At  this  furnace  most  of  the  remaining  years  of  his 


BEGINNING   OF   THE   IRON    INDUSTRY   AT   PITTSBURGH.  59 


long  and  useful  and  prosperous  life  were  spent.  When  about 
eighty  years  of  age  he  retired  from  active  business,  and  with  his 
family  removed  to  the  scene  of  his  early  trials,  Pittsburgh,  about 
1833.  Here  he  died,  February  28,  1837,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three,  in  a  house  that  had  been  built  under  his  own  directions,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Monongahela  river.  He  was  buried  in  the  old 
German  burying-ground  in  Pittsburgh,  but  his  remains  were  some 
years  afterwards  removed  to  Allegheny  cemetery.  He  left  a  large 
number  of  descendants. 

Anshutz's  furnace  at  Pittsburgh  was  built  at  a  point  about  four 
miles  east  of  the  site  of  Fort  Pitt,  and  midway  between  the  Allegheny 
and  Monongahela  rivers,  on  a  stream  known  then  and  now  as  Two- 
Mile  run,  on  the  bank  of  which  Colonel  Jonas  Roup  had  previously 
at  an  early  period,  after  emigrating  from  the  Cumberland  valley, 
erected  a  grist  and  saw  mill.  In  1794  the  fire  of  the  furnace  lighted 
up  the  camp  of  the  participants  in  the  whisky  insurrection.  There 
was  no  forge  connected  with  the  furnace.  The  enterprise  seems  to 
have  been  largely  devoted  to  the  casting  of  stoves  and  grates,  which, 
with  the  coal  from  the  surrounding  hills,  gave  comfort  and  cheer  to 
the  people  of  the  neighborhood.  The  ruins  of  the  furnace  disap- 
peared about  1850  from  the  spot  that  had  long  known  them,  within 
the  eastern  line  of  the  Roup  farm,  and  now  within  the  enclosure  of 
William  O'Hara  Scully,  at  Shady  Side.  When  the  track  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  was  graded  at  Shady  Side,  in  1851,  a  por- 
tion of  the  furnace  building  was  demolished  and  a  part  of  its  founda- 
tion was  removed.  Subsequently,  in  digging  the  cellar  of  Alexander 
Pitcairn's  house,  a  portion  of  the  cinder  bank  was  exposed. 


Second  Stage  in  the  Development  of  the  Iron  Industry  at  Pitts- 
burgh.— The  first  iron  foundry  at  Pittsburgh  was  established  in 
1803  by  Joseph  McClurg,  on  the  site  of  the  present  post-office 
and  the  city  hall.  In  1812  it  was  converted  by  him  into  a  cannon 
foundry.  In  1807  there  were  three  nail  factories  in  existence  in 
Pittsburgh — Porter's,  Sturgeon's,  and  Stewart's,  according  to  Cra- 
mer's Almanac,  one  of  which  made  100  tons  of  cut  and  wrought 
nails  annually.  In  1810  about  200  tons  of  cut  and  wrought 
nails  were  made  at  Pittsburgh.  The  first  steamboat  on  the  Ohio 
river,  the  New  Orleans,  was  built  at  Pittsburgh  in  1811.  In  1813 
there  were  two  foundries  in  Pittsburgh,  McClurg's  and  Anthony 
Beelen's ;  one  steel  furnace,  owned  by  Tuper  &  McKowan ;  and 


60  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


one  rolling-mill,  owned  by  Christopher  Cowan.  Cowan's  rolling- 
mill  was  known  as  the  Pittsburgh  rolling-mill.  The  first  "patent" 
nail  machine  introduced  into  Pittsburgh  is  said  to  have  been  used 
in  this  rolling-mill  in  1814.  The  second  rolling-mill  in  Pitts- 
burgh was  the  Union,  on  the  Monongahela  river,  built  in  1819, 
and  accidentally  blown  up  and  permanently  dismantled  in  1829, 
the  machinery  being  taken  to  Covington,  Kentucky.  This  mill 
had  four  puddling  furnaces,  the  first  in  Pittsburgh.  It  was  also 
the  first  mill  in  Pittsburgh  to  roll  bar  iron. 

The  following  rolling-mills  were  in  operation  at  Pittsburgh  in 
1826:  Sligo  mill  was  erected  where  it  now  stands  by  Robert  T. 
Stewart  and  John  Lyon  in  1825,  but  was  partly  burned  down  that 
year.  The  Juniata  ironworks  were  owned  by  Dr.  Peter  Shoenber- 
ger,  and  were  erected  in  1824.  Grant's  Hill  works  were  erected 
in  1821  by  William  B.  Hays  and  David  Adams.  They  stood  near 
where  the  court-house  now  stands.  Water  for  the  generation  of 
steam  had  to  be  hauled  from  the  Monongahela  river.  The  Union 
rolling-mill,  located  east  of  Kensington,  (Pipetown,)  was  the  largest 
and  most  extensive  of  the  kind  in  the  Western  country.  It  was 
built  in  1819,  and  owned  by  Messrs.  Baldwin,  Robinson,  McNickle 
&  Beltzhoover.  The  Dowlais  works,  in  Kensington,  were  built  by 
George  Lewis  and  Reuben  Leonard  in  1825.  At  Penn  street  and 
Cecil's  alley,  where  the  Fourth  Ward  schoolhouse  now  stands,  stood 
the  Pittsburgh  rolling-mill,  built  in  1812,  and  in  1826  owned 
by  R.  Bowen.  On  Pine  creek  was  the  mill  of  M.  B.  Belknap, 
operated  by  both  steam  and  water  power.  In  1817  this  mill  was 
a  scythe  and  sickle  factory.  All  of  these  mills  did  not  make  bar 
iron  in  1826 :  some  only  manipulated  rolled  and  hammered  iron. 
In  1825  there  were  "eight  air  foundries  and  a  cupola  furnace" 
in  Pittsburgh.  Pig  metal  for  the  supply  of  these  foundries  and  the 
rolling-mills  was  in  part  obtained  from  blast  furnaces  in  the  neigh- 
boring counties,  but  much  of  it  was  brought  from  the  Juniata 
valley,  which  also  supplied  the  mills  with  most  of  their  blooms. 
The  Juniata  pig  iron  and  blooms  were  hauled  over  the  Allegheny 
mountains  to  Johnstown,  usually  on  sleds  in  the  winter  season, 
and  taken  down  the  Conemaugh,  Kiskiminetas,  and  Allegheny  riv- 
ers to  Pittsburgh  with  the  spring  and  fall  freshets. 

In  1829  Pittsburgh  had  eight  rolling-mills,  using  6,000  tons  of 
blooms,  chiefly  from  the  Juniata  valley,  and  1,500  tons  of  pig  metal. 
In  the  same  year  there  were  nine  foundries  that  consumed  3,500 
tons  of  metal.  In  1828  the  iron  rolled  was  3,291  tons ;  in  1829  it 


EARLY   IRONWORKS   IN  WESTMORELAND   COUNTY.  61 


was  6,217  tons ;  and  in  1830  it  was  9,282  tons.  It  is  stated  that 
in  1830  one  hundred  steam-engines  were  built.  In  1831  there  were 
two  steel  furnaces,  and  cast  iron  began  to  be  used  for  pillars,  the 
caps  and  sills  of  windows,  etc.  In  1836  there  were  nine  rolling- 
mills  in  operation,  and  eighteen  foundries,  engine-factories,  and 
machine-shops.  In  1856  there  were  in  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny 
county  twenty-five  rolling-mills  and  thirty-three  foundries. 

There  were  no  blast  furnaces  in  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny  county 
in  1858,  but  now  there  are  twelve.  Clinton  furnace,  built  in  1859, 
by  Graff,  Bennett  &  Co.,  and  blown  in  on  the  last  Monday  of 
October  in  that  year,  was  the  first  furnace  to  be  built  in  Allegheny 
county  after  the  abandonment  in  1794  of  George  Anshutz's  furnace 
at  Shady  Side — a  surprisingly  long  interregnum.  Clinton  furnace 
was  followed  in  1861  by  the  two  Eliza  furnaces  of  Laughlin  &  Co., 
and  soon  afterwards  by  others.  The  Lucy  and  Isabella  furnaces 
have  yielded  larger  weekly  products  of  iron  than  any  other  fur- 
naces in  the  country.  The  ores  used  at  Pittsburgh  are  mainly 
obtained  from  the  Lake  Superior  mines,  but  those  of  Missouri 
also  furnish  a  large  proportion. 

There  are  thirty-two  rolling-mills  in  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny 
county  in  1876,  four  of  which  make  steel  as  well  as  iron.  There 
are  nine  other  establishments  which  make  only  steel.  The  Edgar 
Thomson  Bessemer  steel  works,  completed  in  1875,  occupy  the  site 
of  Braddock's  Field.  The  most  surprising  fact  connected  with  the 
iron  industry  of  Pittsburgh  is  that  it  all  should  have  had  its 
growth  since  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 


Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry  in  Other  Western  Counties. — 
Westmoreland  furnace,  near  Laughlinstown,  in  Ligonier  valley, 
Westmoreland  county,  on  Four  Mile  run,  a  branch  of  Loyal- 
hanna  creek,  was  built  about  1792  by  John  Probst,  who  also 
built  a  small  forge  about  the  same  time.  Neither  the  furnace  nor 
the  forge  was  long  in  operation,  both  probably  ceasing  to  make 
iron  about  1810.  Colonel  John  McFarland,  of  Ligonier,  informs 
us  that  he  has  used  iron  made  at  these  works.  On  the  1st  of 
August,  1795,  George  Anshutz,  manager  of  Westmoreland  furnace, 
advertised  stoves  and  castings  for  sale.  General  Arthur  St.  Clair 
built  Hermitage  furnace,  on  Mill  creek,  two  miles  northeast  of 
Ligonier,  on  the  road  to  Johnstown,  about  1802.  It  was  managed 
for  its  owner  by  James  Hamilton.  The  following  advertisement 
appeared  in  The  Farmer's  Register,  printed  at  Greensburg,  Pa., 


62  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


November  21,  1806,  by  John  M.  Snowden.  This  advertisement 
had  for  its  caption,  "  Hermitage  Furnace  in  Blast,"  and  was  signed 
by  Henry  Weaver  &  Son,  and  dated  at  "  Greensburg,  September  12, 
1806."  It  read  as  follows : 

The  subscribers,  being  appointed  agents  by  Gen.  A.  St.  Glair,  for  the  sale  of 
his  castings  generally,  and  for  the  Borough  of  Greensburg  exclusively,  give 
notice  that  they  will  contract  with  any  person  or  persons  for  the  delivery  of 
castings  and  stoves,  for  any  number  of  tons,  on  good  terms.  Samples  of  the 
castings  and  stoves  to  be  seen  at  their  store,  in  Greensburg,  any  time  after  the 
20th  instant. 

In  1810  Hermitage  furnace  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  General 
St.  Clair,  and  stood  idle  for  some  time.  In  1816  it  was  started 
again  by  O'Hara  &  Scully,  under  the  management  of  John  Henry 
Hopkins,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Vermont.  In  October,  1817,  Mr. 
Hopkins  left  the  furnace,  himself  a  bankrupt,  and  it  has  never 
since  been  in  operation.  The  stack  is  yet  standing,  and  a  large 
sycamore  tree  has  grown  out  of  the  stone  wall,  about  ten  feet  above 
the  ground.  General  St.  Clair  died  a  poor  man  in  1818,  aged 
eighty-four  years,  and  is  buried  at  Greensburg.  Mount  Hope  fur- 
nace was  built  about  1810,  in  Donegal  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  by  Trevor  &  McClurg.  Washington  furnace,  near  Laugh- 
linstown,  in  this  county,  was  built  about  1809,  by  Johnston, 
McClurg  &  Co.  It  was  abandoned  in  1826,  and  rebuilt  in  1848 
by  John  Bell  &  Co.  It  was  in  blast  as  late  as  1854,  and  in  1859 
was  owned  by  L.  C.  Hall.  Jonathan  Maybury  &  Co.  owned 
Fountain  furnace,  in  Westmoreland  county,  before  1812,  but  where 
this  furnace  was  located  we  have  been  unable  to  learn.  The  firm 
was  dissolved  August  19,  1812.  Kingston  forge,  erected  in  1811 
on  Loyalhanna  creek,  Westmoreland  county,  ten  miles  east  of 
Greensburg,  by  A.  Johnston  &  Co.,  went  into  operation  early  in 
1812.  Ross  furnace,  on  Tub  Mill  creek,  in  Fairfield  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  was  built  in  1815,  by  James  Paull,  Jr.,  Col. 
J.  D.  Mathiot,  and  Isaac  Meason,  Jr.,  and  abandoned  about  1850. 
It  made  pig  iron,  stoves,  sugar-kettles,  pots,  ovens,  skillets,  etc. 
Another  furnace  in  Fairfield  township  was  built  a  short  distance 
below  Ross  furnace,  on  Tub  Mill  creek,  by  John  Beninger,  about 
1810.  He  also  built  a  small  forge  on  the  same  stream,  where 
the  borough  of  Bolivar  now  stands.  Both  the  furnace  and  forge 
ceased  to  make  iron  soon  after  they  were  built,  the  forge  running 
until  about  1816.  When  short  rff  pig  iron  it  sometimes  made  bar 


EARLY  IRONWORKS   IN   WESTMORELAND   COUNTY.  63 


iron  direct  from  the  ore,  which  was  obtained  near  by.  In  1834 
a  manufactory  of  axes  and  sickles  was  established  at  Covodesville, 
on  Tub  Mill  creek,  above  Bolivar,  by  Uri  Updegraff.  The  business 
was  continued  for  eight  years  by  Mr.  UpdegrafF.  Baldwin  furnace, 
on  Laurel  run,  near  Koss  furnace,  is  said  to  have  been  built  by 
James  Stewart  about  1810.  It  ran  but  a  short  time.  It  was  named 
after  Henry  Baldwin,  afterwards  a  Judge  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  but  then  a  leading  lawyer  of  Pittsburgh.  He  may 
have  helped  to  build  the  furnace. 

Gordon,  in  his  Gazetteer  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  states  that 
in  1832  there  were  in  operation  in  Westmoreland  county  one 
furnace,  Ross,  operated  by  Colonel  Mathiot,  and  one  forge,  Kings- 
ton, on  Loyalhanna  creek,  operated  by  Alexander  Johnston.  The 
latter  gentleman,  whose  name  appears  above  in  connection  with 
two  other  iron  enterprises,  was  the  father  of  Governor  William  F. 
Johnston.  He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  July,  1772,  and  died  July 
15,  1872,  one  hundred  years  old.  The  early  Westmoreland  fur- 
naces shipped  pig  iron  by  boats  or  arks  on  the  Conemaugh  and 
Allegheny  rivers  to  Pittsburgh,  much  of  which  found  its  way 
down  the  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati  and  Louisville. 

Other  furnaces  in  Westmoreland  county  were,  Mount  Pleasant,  a 
very  early  furnace ;  California,  built  by  Col.  J.  D.  Mathiot  and  S. 
Cummins  about  1852,  on  Furnace  run  branch  of  the  Loyalhanna 
creek,  about  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  run ;  Oak  Grove,  built 
in  1854  by  Colonel  John  Clifford,  near  Ligonier,  and  owned  in 
1857  by  James  Tanner,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Valley  furnace,  at  Hills- 
view,  nine  miles  south  of  New  Florence,  built  by  L.  C.  Hall  & 
Co.  in  1855 ;  Laurel  Hill,  about  three  miles  below  Baldwin  fur- 
nace, on  Laurel  run,  after  its  junction  with  Powder  Mill  run, 
commenced  in  1845  or  1846  by  Hezekiah  Reid  and  finished  about 
1849  by  Judge  J.  T.  Hale  of  Centre  county,  and  subsequently 
owned  by  various  parties  ;  Conemaugh,  on  the  stream  of  that  name, 
about  eight  miles  west  of  Johnstown,  built  in  1847  by  John  C. 
Magill,  Hon.  Henry  D.  Foster,  and  Hon.  Thomas  White,  and  sub- 
sequently operated  by  George  Rhey ;  Lockport,  built  in  1844  by 
William  D.  and  Thomas  McKernan,  brothers,  at  the  town  of  that 
name,  twenty  miles  west  of  Johnstown,  subsequently  owned  by 
William  McKinney,  of  Lockport,  and  finally  falling  into  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Peter  Shoenberger;  Ramsey,  built  in  1847,  on  the  Kiski- 
minetas,  about  four  miles  west  of  Saltsburg,  Indiana  county,  by 
Frederick  Overman,  for  Dr.  J.  R.  Speer,  of  Pittsburgh,  its  owner 


64  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 

All  of  the  above  furnaces  have  been  abandoned.  There  is  only 
one  furnace  in  the  county  now  in  operation,  Charlotte,  built  by 
Everson,  Knap  &  Co.,  at  Scottdale,  in  1873,  where  the  firm  of 
Everson,  Macrum  &  Co.  built  a  rolling-mill  in  the  same  year. 

Shade  furnace  was  built  in  1807  or  1808,  and  was  the  first  iron 
establishment  in  Somerset  county.  It  was  erected  on  the  banks  of 
Shade  creek,  about  forty  rods  below  the  junction  of  Clear  Shade 
and  Dark  Shade  creeks.  David  Rodger,  an  old  resident  at  Shade 
furnace,  informs  us  that  it  was  built  by  Gerehart  &  Reynolds  upon 
land  leased  from  Thomas  Vickroy.  Being  in  debt,  their  furnace 
and  lease  were  sold  by  the  sheriff  to  Ogle  &  Kimmell,  of  Somerset, 
who  were  succeeded  by  Thomas  Gaghegan,  who  gave  way  to  one 
Dunlap,  when  the  property  reverted  to  Thomas  Vickroy.  In  No- 
vember, 1813,  we  learn  that  Vickroy  advertised  Shade  furnace  for 
sale,  at  a  great  bargain,  the  advertisement  appearing  in  the  Pitts- 
burgh Mercury,  published  by  John  M.  Snowden.  A  sale  was  effected 
in  1819  to  Mark  Richards,  Anthony  S.  Earl,  and  Benjamin  Johns, 
of  New  Jersey,  constituting  the  firm  of  Richards,  Earl  &  Co.,  who 
operated  the  furnace  down  to  about  1830.  In  1820  they  built  a 
forge,  called  Shade,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  below  the  furnace,  which 
was  carried  on  by  William  Earl  for  four  or  five  years,  and  afterwards 
by  John  Hammer  and  others.  In  1849  it  made  30  tons  of  bars. 
The  furnace  was  continued,  at  intervals,  by  various  proprietors  to 
the  close  of  1858.  Daniel  Weyand,  Esq.,  of  Somerset,  at  his  death, 
in  September,  1877,  was  the  last  owner  of  the  property. 

About  1811  Joseph  Vickroy  and  Conrad  Piper  built  Mary  Ann 
forge,  on  Stony  creek,  about  five  miles  below  Shade  furnace,  and 
a  half  mile  below  the  mouth  of  Shade  creek.  The  forge  was  named 
after  Mr.  Piper's  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Vickroy  and 
sister  of  Joseph  Vickroy.  David  Livingston  was  subsequently 
the  owner  of  the  forge,  and  operated  it  for  several  years.  Richard 
Geary,  the  father  of  Governor  John  W.  Geary,  was  the  millwright 
who  built  the  forge  for  the  owners.  We  have  heard  that  pig  iron 
was  sometimes  packed  on  horseback  to  this  forge  from  Bedford 
county,  the  horses  taking  salt  from  the  Conemaugh  salt-works  and 
bar  iron  as  a  return  load. 

In  the  year  1809  or  1810  Peter  Kimmell  and  Matthias  Scott 
built  a  forge  for  the  manufacture  of  bar  iron  on  Laurel  Hill 
creek,  now  in  Jefferson  township,  in  the  western  part  of  Somerset 
county.  Mr.  Kimmell  shortly  after  withdrew,  and  the  establishment 
was  run  by  Mr.  Scott.  Subsequently  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 


FIRST   IRONWORKS   IN    OTHER   WESTERN    COUNTIES.  65 


Henry  Benford  and  Jacob  Ankeny,  and  ceased  operations  about 
1815.  Supplies  of  metal  were  obtained  from  Bedford  and  Fayette 
counties.  About  the  year  1810  Robert  Philson  erected  a  forge  and 
furnace  on  Casselman's  river,  in  Turkeyfoot  township.  The  ore 
was  mined  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  The  enterprise  was  a  bad 
investment,  operations  ceasing  in  three  or  four  years.  The  next 
furnace  in  the  county  was  Jackson  furnace,  near  the  Pittsburgh 
turnpike,  on  Laurel  hill,  built  by  Irvin  Horrel,  Philip  Murphy, 
and  Charles  Ogle  about  1825.  It  was  unsuccessful  in  their  hands. 
About  1833  Joseph  and  William  Graham  again  put  it  in  blast,  only 
to  be  overcome  by  speedy  disaster.  In  1832  Gordon  stated  that 
there  were  three  furnaces  and  three  forges  then  in  existence  in 
the  county.  Rockingham  furnace,  two  miles  above  Shade  furnace, 
on  Shade  creek,  was  built  in  1844  by  John  Foust,  and  subse- 
quently operated  by  Ouster  &  Little;  Somerset  furnace,  at  For- 
wardstown,  was  built  by  Huber,  Linton  &  Myers  in  1846,  and 
afterwards  owned  by  G.  Ross  Forward ;  and  Wellersburg  furnace 
was  built  by  the  Union  Coal  and  Iron  Company,  in  1856,  under 
the  management  of  G.  Ross  Forward.  All  the  furnaces  and  forges 
in  Somerset  county  have  been  abandoned. 

The  first  iron  enterprise  in  Cambria  county  was  a  forge  at  Johns- 
town, built  by  John  Buckwalter,  of  Chester  county,  on  Stony  creek, 
in  1809,  and  subsequently  removed  to  the  Conemaugh  river,  also  at 
Johnstown,  where  it  was  operated  with  more  or  less  regularity  down 
to  about  1825,  although  it'was  standing  many  years  later.  Its  last 
owner  was  Peter  Levergood.  It  was  used  to  hammer  bars  out  of 
Juniata  pig  iron.  John  Buckwalter  was  a  descendant  of  Francis 
Buckwalter,  a  Protestant  refugee  from  Germany,  who  emigrated  to 
the  vicinity  of  Phoenixville,  in  Chester  county;  in  1720,  where  he 
purchased  650  acres  of  land  for  £195.  In  1*810  it  is  recorded  that 
about  200  pounds  of  nails,  valued  at  $30,  were  made  at  Johns- 
town by  one  establishment.  These  nails  may  have  been  wholly 
made  by  hand  labor.  About  1813  or  1814  an  enterprise  was 
established  at  Johnstown  by  which  nails  were  cut  with  a  machine 
worked  by  a  treadle,  but  without  heads,  which  were  afterwards 
added  with  another  machine.  The  enterprise  was  established  by 
Robert  Pierson,  who  died  in  1818,  and  was  buried  in  the  Union 
graveyard.  His  shop  stood  on  the  north  side  of  Vine  street,  near 
Franklin.  Cambria  county  has  been  noted  as  an  iron  centre 
since  its  first  furnace,  Cambria,  was  built  by  George  S.  King, 
David  Stewart,  John  K.  Shryock,  and  William  L.  Shryock  in 


66  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


1841,  on  Laurel  run.  It  was  followed  by  Mill  Creek,  built  by 
John  Bell  &  Co.  in  1845 ;  Ben's  Creek,  built  by  George  S.  King  & 
Co.  in  1846;  Eliza,  five  miles  west  of  Ebensburg,  on  Blacklick 
creek,  commenced  by  Bitter  &  Rodgers  in  1846  and  completed 
by  Bitter  &  Irvin  in  1847 ;  Mount  Vernon,  at  Johnstown,  built 
by  Peter  Levergood  &  Co.  in  1846,  and  subsequently  owned  by 
Lintons  &  Galbreath ;  and  Ashland,  six  miles  north  of  Gallitzin, 
built  by  Joseph  A.  Conrad  and  Hugh  McNeal  in  1847.  All  these 
furnaces  have  been  abandoned.  The  division  line  between  Cambria 
and  Indiana  counties  passed  through  the  stack  of  Eliza  furnace. 
The  Cambria  ironworks,  at  Johnstown,  the  most  extensive  in  the 
United  States,  were  commenced  in  1853  by  a  company  of  which 
Mr.  King  was  the  originator.  They  now  embrace  iron  and  steel 
rolling-mills  at  Johnstown,  and  several  large  furnaces  at  Johns- 
town and  in  Blair  county.  In  1832  Gordon  referred  to  the  pros- 
pect of  making  iron  from  native  ore  in  Cambria  county  as  fol- 
lows:— "And  there  is  iron,  as  it  is  said  by  some,  but  denied  by 
others."  To  the  enterprise  of  George  S.  King  is  this  county  in- 
debted for  the  development  of  the  iron  ore  within  its  borders. 

The  first  iron  enterprise  in  Indiana  county  was  Indiana  forge, 
on  Findley's  run,  near  the  Conemaugh,  built  about  1837  by  Henry 
Noble,  who  also  built  a  small  furnace  as  early  as  1840.  Both 
the  furnace  and  forge  were  running  in  the  last-named  year.  Pig 
iron  for  the  forge  was  at  first  obtained  from  Allegheny  furnace,  in 
Blair  county.  Becoming  embarrassed,  Mr.  Noble  was  succeeded 
by  William  D.  and  Thomas  McKernan  about  1843.  About  1846 
the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  Elias  Baker,  who  built  a 
new  furnace  and  forge.  Other  furnaces  in  Indiana  county  were, 
Blacklick,  built  by  David  Stewart  in  1846 ;  Buena  Vista,  built  by 
McClelland  &  Co.  in  1847  ;  and  Loop,  built  by  Hampton  &  Smith 
in  1847.  Blacklick  and  Buena  Vista  were  located  on  Blacklick 
creek,  and  Loop  on  the  Little  Mahoning,  three  miles  below  Smicks- 
burg.  All  the  Indiana  furnaces  and  its  solitary  forge  have  been 
abandoned. 

Beginning  of  the  Iron  Industry  in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania. — 
A  blast  furnace  was  built  at  Beaver  Falls,  on  the  west  side  of 
Beaver  river,  in  Beaver  county,  in  1802,  by  Hoopes,  Townsend  & 
Co.,  and  blown  in  in  1804.  A  forge  was  connected  with  it  from  the 
beginning,  and  was  in  operation  in  1806,  according  to  Cramer's 
Pittsburgh  Almanac.  Both  the  furnace  and  forge  were  in  operation 


FIRST   IRONWORKS    IN    NORTHWESTERN    PENNSYLVANIA.         67 


in  1816.  The  whole  enterprise  was  abandoned  about  1826.  The 
ore  used  was  picked  out  of  gravel  banks  in  the  neighborhood  in 
very  small  lumps.  It  has  been  erroneously  stated  that  this  was 
the  only  furnace  erected  in  Beaver  county.  There  was  another 
early  furnace  in  this  county,  named  Bassenheim,  built  by  Detmar 
Basse  Miiller,  the  history  of  which  is  .so  interesting  that  we  make 
room  for  the  following  letter  we  have  received  from  Mr.  Henry 
Muntz,  an  aged  citizen  of  Zelienople,  in  Butler  county. 

Bassenheim  furnace  was  built  and  put  into  operation  in  the  year  1814  by 
Dettmar  Basse,  a  German  gentleman  of  education,  much  enterprise,  and  some 
means.  He  carried  it  on  to  1818,  when  he  sold  out  to  Daniel  Beltzhoover, 
Kobinson  &  McNickle,  who  worked  it  five  or  six  years  more.  About  that 
time,  viz.,  1824,  the  charcoal  and  iron  ore  beginning  to  fail  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  their  capital  being  pretty  much  sunk,  they  ceased  operations  and 
retired,  leaving  the  furnace  a  ruin,  and  now  there  is  nothing  to  mark  the  place 
of  its  location  except  a  large  stack  of  stone  overgrown  with  moss  and  bushes, 
and  also  a  great  pile  of  cinders,  clinkers,  and  ashes,  to  show  where  the  furnace 
had  been.  This  furnace  was  not  located  in  Butler  county,  but  in  the  adjoin- 
ing county  of  Beaver,  between  two  and  three  miles  from  Zelienople  and  lower 
down  the  Connoquenessing  creek  and  about  a  mile  west  of  the  Butler  county 
line.  Its  owners,  Dettmar  Basse  and  also  Daniel  Beltzhoover,  resided  at 
Bassenheim  farm  on  the  Butler  side  of  the  county  line,  and  much  of  its 
business  was  transacted  at  Zelienople.  These  circumstances  will  account  for 
the  popular  belief  that  this  furnace  was  located  in  Butler  county.  There  was 
no  forge  connected  with  it,  nor  any  other  work  except  to  convert  iron  ore  into 
pig  metal,  stoves,  kettles,  pots,  fire  irons,  etc.  The  ore  was  mostly  dug  out  of 
the  ground  within  a  mile  or  two  of  the  furnace  in  lumps  weighing  from  one 
pound  to  fifty,  generally  of  a  blue  color.  At  first  the  bellows  was  blown  by 
water-power,  but,  after  the  high  water  of  the  creek  had  washed  one  of  the 
abutments  of  the  dam  away  and  let  the  water  out,  the  owners  were  obliged  to 
apply  a  steam-engine  at  considerable  expense,  by  which  it  was  afterwards 
operated  with  much  trouble  and  little  profit.  After  the  war  of  1812  times 
were  very  hard  and  money  exceedingly  scarce.  One  other  reason  that  this 
work  did  not  succeed  and  pay  better  was  the  great  expense  of  getting  its 
metal  and  wares  to  a  market.  I  remember  well  that  in  February,  1818,  $12 
per  ton  were  paid  for  hauling  the  pig  metal  to  Pittsburgh,  thirty  miles,  over 
a  bad  road. 

John  Henry  Hopkins,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Vermont,  and  already 
mentioned  in  connection  with  General  St.  Glair's  furnace  near  Ligo- 
nier,  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  at  Bassenheim  furnace  about  1815. 

Still  another  furnace  in  Beaver  county  was  Homewood,  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  Beaver  Canal,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Connoquenessing  creek,  and  two  miles  from  Home- 
wood  station  on  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  Railway. 


68  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 

It  was  built  by  James  Wood,  of  Pittsburgh,  to  use  coke  or  bitumi- 
nous coal,  and  was  put  in  blast  in  1858.  It  was  finally  blown  out 
in  1867  or  1868. 

Prior  to  1845  there  were  only  a  few  furnaces  in  the  Shenango 
valley,  all  charcoal,  one  of  the  oldest  of  which  was  Springfield 
furnace,  half  a  mile  from  Leesburg,  and  seven  miles  southeast  of 
Mercer,  built  in  1837  and  active  in  1849.  Day,  in  1843,  says  : 
"  two  furnaces  were  wrought  formerly,  but  have  since  been  aban- 
doned," and  in  confirmation  of  this  statement  we  may  quote  the 
geographer,  Joseph  Scott,  who  says  that  in  1806  "  a  forge  and 
furnace  are  now  nearly  erected  "  at  New  Castle.  The  first  furnace 
in  Lawrence  county  of  which  we  have  satisfactory  information  was 
Martha,  at  New  Castle,  built  in  1844  to  use  charcoal.  In  1849 
it  was  owned  by  Power  &  Sons,  and  was  soon  afterwards  aban- 
doned. Cossallo  rolling-mill  was  built  at  New  Castle  in  1842,  by 
the  Cossallo  Iron  Company,  and  Orizaba,  at  the  same  place,  in 
1847,  by  Peebles  &  Co.  In  1845,  and  soon  afterwards,  several 
furnaces  were  built  in  this  valley  to  use  its  splint  coal  in  the  raw 
state,  particular  mention  of  which,  owing  to  their  modern  origin, 
is  not  deemed  necessary.  In  1876  there  were  32  such  furnaces 
in  the  valley,  besides  several  rolling-mills. 

We  are  able  to  fix  the  date  of  the  erection  of  the  first  furnace 
in  the  once  important  but  now  neglected  ironmaking  district  com- 
posed of  Armstrong,  Butler,  Clarion,  Venango,  and  other  north- 
western counties.  This  event  took  place  in  the  year  1818,  when 
Bear  Creek  furnace,  in  Armstrong  county,  one  mile  from  Lawrence- 
burg  in  Butler  county,  was  commenced  by  Ruggles,  Stackpole  & 
Whiting,  who  then  owned  the  Pittsburgh  rolling-mill.  In  the 
following  year,  owing  to  the  failure  of  this  firm,  it  passed  uncom- 
pleted into  the  hands  of  Baldwin,  Robinson,  McNickle  &  Beltz- 
hoover,  and  was  probably  purchased  by  them  to  supply  pig  metal 
to  their  rolling-mill  at  Pittsburgh.  The  furnace  went  into  opera- 
tion in  1819.  It  was  abandoned  long  before  1850,  but  was  run- 
ning in  1832,  in  which  year  Gordon  says  it  was  owned  by  Henry 
Baldwin,  Esq.,  and  was  reputed  to  be  the  largest  furnace  in  the 
United  States,  having  made  forty  tons  of  iron  a  week.  The  build- 
ing of  this  furnace  was  superintended  by  Thomas  C.  Lewis,  the 
projector  of  Colonel  Isaac  Meason's  rolling-mill  on  Redstone  creek, 
in  Fayette  county.  The  furnace  was  built  to  use  coke,  with  steam- 
power.  Its  first  blast  was  with  this  fuel,  but  the  blast  was  too  weak, 
and  the  furnace  chilled  after  two  or  three  tons  of  iron  had  been 


FIRST    IRONWORKS    IN    NORTHWESTERN    PENNSYLVANIA.         69 

made.  Charcoal  was  then  substituted.  This  furnace  had  a  tram- 
road,  with  wooden  rails,  in  1818.  It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  the 
pioneer,  Thomas  C.  Lewis,  that  we  should  state  that  it  was  against 
his  earnest  advice  that  the  blast  used  in  blowing  in  Bear  Creek 
furnace  with  coke  was  insufficient.  He  predicted  the  failure  which 
occurred.  The  blast  was  cold,  and  was  about  five  pounds  to  the 
square  inch. 

The  number  of  ironworks  erected  in  the  State  in  the  ten  years 
ending  with  1830  was  forty-nine,  of  which  thirty  were  forges  and 
rolling-mills  and  nineteen  were  blast  furnaces.  Some  of  these  fur- 
naces were  in  Butler  and  adjoining  counties.  After  the  manufacture 
of  iron  at  Pittsburgh  was  fairly  started  about  1825,  a  demand  was 
created  for  more  pig  iron  than  the  Juniata  valley  and  Fayette 
county  could  supply.  This  led  to  the  development  of  the  iron-ore 
beds  in  Clarion,  Butler,  Armstrong,  and  Venango  counties.  Rock 
furnace,  on  Roaring  run,  a  tributary  of  the  Kiskiminetas,  four  miles 
east  of  Apollo,  in  Armstrong  county,  was  built  about  1825  by  James 
W.  Biddle,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  others.  In  1832  Biddle  is  said  by 
Gordon  to  have  owned  this  furnace,  which  produced  about  fifteen 
tons  of  iron  a  week.  It  has  been  abandoned  since  1855.  Slippery 
Rock  furnace,  in  Butler  county,  and  Clarion  furnace,  in  Clarion 
county,  were  built  in  1828 — the  latter  by  Hon.  Christian  Myers,  a 
native  of  Lancaster  county.  Allegheny  furnace,  at  Kittanning,  in 
Armstrong  county,  and  Venango  furnace,  on  Oil  creek,  in  Venango 
county,  were  built  in  1830.  In  1832  the  former  was  owned  by  A. 
McNickle,  and  made  about  fourteen  tons  of  iron  weekly.  From 
1830  to  1850,  but  particularly  after  the  passage  of  the  tariff  of 
1842,  this  section  of  the  State  produced  large  quantities  of  char- 
coal pig  iron.  We  particularize  a  few  of  the  furnaces  built  soon 
after  1830  :  Beaver,  five  miles  south  of  Shippenville,  Clarion  county, 
in  1835 ;  Madison,  on  Piney  creek,  same  county,  in  1836 ;  Shippen, 
near  Shippenville,  same  county,  in  1832 ;  Lucinda,  eight  miles  north 
of  Clarion,  in  1833  ;  Clay,  on  Horse  creek,  Venango  county,  in  1832 ; 
Van  Buren,  on  the  Allegheny  river,  two  miles  southeast  of  Frank- 
lin, same  county,  in  1832  ;  Rockland,  in  the  same  county,  in  1832  ; 
Slab,  on  East  Sandy  creek,  same  county,  in  1834;  Mill  Creek,  in 
the  same  county,  in  1835.  There  was  no  forge  in  Armstrong  county 
in  1832,  but  there  were  a  few  forges  in  Butler  and  Venango  counties. 
A  forge  was  built  at  Shippenville  in  1833. 

In  1850  there  were  11  furnaces  existing  in  Armstrong  county, 
6  in  Butler,  28  in  Clarion,  and  18  in  Venango — 63  in  all.  In  1858 


70  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


there  were  18  in  Armstrong,  6  in  Butler,  27  in  Clarion,  and  24  in 
Venango — 75  in  all.  Many  of  these  furnaces  had,  however,  been 
abandoned  at  the  latter  date.  Nearly  every  one  has  since  then 
been  abandoned.  The  discovery  that  bituminous  coal  could  be 
profitably  used  in  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron,  and  the  subse- 
quent discovery  of  the  rich  ores  of  Lake  Superior,  were  influences 
which  tended  greatly  to  destroy  the  business  of  making  charcoal 
pig  iron  in  the  counties  named,  and  in  Fayette,  Westmoreland, 
Somerset,  Cambria,  and  Indiana  counties,  and  correspondingly  to 
develop  the  iron  business  in  the  Shenango  valley  and  elsewhere. 
But  the  distance  of  many  of  these  furnaces  from  market,  the  lack 
of  cheap  means  of  transportation,  and  the  growing  scarcity  of  char- 
coal timber  also  had  much  to  do  with  the  abandonment  of  Western 
and  Northwestern  Pennsylvania  charcoal  furnaces.  It  is  not  im- 
probable that  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron  in  the  Allegheny  valley 
and  in  Fayette  county  may  yet  be  revived  by  the  general  substitu- 
tion of  Connellsville  coke  for  charcoal,  as  iron  ore  is  still  abundant. 

The  Great  Western  ironworks  at  Brady's  Bend  were  commenced 
in  1840,  embracing  a  rolling-mill  and  four  furnaces  to  use  coke. 
They  have  not  been  in  operation  for  several  years. 

The  iron  manufactured  in  the  Allegheny  valley  was  taken  down 
the  Allegheny  river  on  keel-boats  and  arks,  the  business  of  trans- 
porting it,  as  may  readily  be  conjectured,  being  quite  extensive. 

Erie  charcoal  furnace,  at  Erie,  was  built  in  1842,  and  abandoned 
in  1849.  It  used  bog  ore.  It  was  owned  by  Charles  M.  Heed. 
Liberty  furnace,  on  the  north  side  of  French  creek,  in  Crawford 
county,  was  built  in  1842  by  Lowry  &  Co.,  of  Meadville,  and 
abandoned  in  1849. 

At  the  Siberian  rolling-mill  of  Rogers  &  Burchfield,  at  Leech- 
burg,  Armstrong  county,  natural  gas,  taken  from  a  well  1,200  feet 
deep,  was  first  used  as  a  fuel  in  the  puddling  furnace.  In  the  fall 
of  1874  it  was  announced  that  during  the  preceding  six  months 
the  gas  had  furnished  all  the  fuel  required  for  puddling,  heating, 
and  making  steam,  not  one  bushel  of  coal  having  been  used. 


Iron  Ore  has  been  found  in  Elk,  Potter,  Bradford,  Juniata,  and 
Wayne  counties,  but  it  has  not  been  developed.  Ore  has  recently 
been  mined  at  Austinville,  in  Columbia  township,  Bradford  county. 
Should  it  ever  become  necessary,  Pennsylvania  can  add  greatly  to 
her  present  production  of  iron  ore,  and  of  fuel  to  smelt  it  there 
never  can  be  any  scarcity. 


FIRST   COKE   PIG   IRON    IN   THE   UNITED    STATES.  71 


First  Use  of  Bituminous  Coke  in  the  Manufacture  of  American 
Pig  Iron. — Pig  iron  manufactured  from  bituminous  coke  is  claimed 
to  have  been  first  made  as  a  regular  product  in  the  United  States 
by  F.  H.  Oliphant,  at  Fairchance  furnace,  near  Uniontown,  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1836.  Mr.  Oliphant  sent  to  the  Frank- 
lin Institute  of  Philadelphia  samples  of  the  metal  produced  and  of 
the  various  materials  used  at  his  furnace.  He  did  not,  however, 
long  continue  to  make  coke  iron,  and  resumed  the  manufacture  of 
iron  with  charcoal.  William  Firmstone  was  successful  in  1835  in 
making  good  gray  forge  iron  for  about  one  month  at  the  end  of  a 
blast  at  Mary  Ann  furnace,  in  Trough  Creek  valley,  Tod  township, 
Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  from  coke  made  from  Broad 
Top  coal.  This  iron  was  taken  to  a  forge  two  miles  distant  and 
made  into  blooms.  We  have  been  unable  to  verify  the  statement 
in  French's  Iron  Trade  of  the  United  States  (1858)  that  "coke  was 
employed  a  few  years  before  the  Revolution  in  the  manufacture 
of  pig  and  refined  bar  iron."  Undoubtedly,  however,  various  at- 
tempts were  made  to  use  it  before  the  successful  experiments  of 
Mr.  Firmstone  and  Mr.  Oliphant  were  made.  We  have  recorded 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  use  coke  at  Bear  Creek  furnace  in 
1819. 

The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  passed  an  act  June  16,  1836, 
"  to  encourage  the  manufacture  of  iron  with  coke  or  mineral  coal," 
which  authorized  the  organization  of  companies  for  the  manufac- 
ture, transportation,  and  sale  of  iron  made  with  coke  or  coal.  Be- 
tween 1835  and  1839  attempts  were  made  at  Karthaus,  in  Clear- 
field  county,  at  Farrandsville,  in  Clinton  county,  on  the  west  branch 
of  the  Susquehanna  river,  and  at  Astonville  furnace,  near  Frozen 
run,  in  Lycoming  county,  to  use  coke,  but  the  experiment  was 
unfortunate  in  each  instance.  At  Karthaus  several  hundred  tons 
in  all  of  white  iron  were  produced  at  irregular  intervals  in  a  fur- 
nace which  was  built  in  1836  by  Peter  Ritner  (a  brother  of  Gover- 
nor Ritner)  and  John  Say,  and  it  ran  spasmodically  upon  coke  with 
cold  blast  until  1838.  In  that  year  Henry  C.  Carey,  Burd  Patter- 
son, John  White,  and  others,  constituting  the  Clearfield  Coal  and 
Iron  Company,  employed  William  Firmstone  to  take  charge  of  the 
furnace.  In  1839  he  put  in  a  hot  blast  and  raised  the  stack  nine 
feet,  making  it  45  feet  high,  with  boshes  13  feet  in  diameter.  The 
furnace  was  blown  in  in  September,  and  made  several  hundred  tons 
of  good  foundry  iron  by  the  close  of  the  year,  when  the  whole  en- 
terprise was  abandoned,  owing  to  the  lack  of  proper  transportation 


72  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


facilities.  At  Farrandsville,  as  we  are  informed  by  General  Daniel 
Tyler,  3,500  tons  of  iron  were  made,  but  at  such  great  cost,  owing  to 
the  impurity  of  the  coal  and  the  distance  of  the  ore,  that  further 
efforts  to  make  iron  with  coke  were  abandoned.  The  furnace  was 
blown  in,  according  to  General  Tyler,  in  the  summer  of  1837,  and 
ran  probably  until  1839.  It  was  fitted  up  with  a  hot-blast  apparatus, 
made  in  Glasgow,  and  the  best  known  at  that  time  in  Scotland.  The 
furnace  at  Frozen  run  made  some  iron  from  coke,  but  how  much  is 
not  stated.  In  September,  1839,  it  was  using  charcoal.  Lonaconing 
furnace,  in  Alleghany  county,  Maryland,  was  built  in  1837,  by  the 
George's  Creek  Company,  to  use  coke,  and  in  June,  1839,  it  was 
making  about  70  tons  per  week  of  good  foundry  iron.  In  the  Frost- 
burg  coal  basin  of  Maryland,  nine  miles  northwest  of  Cumberland, 
two  large  blast  furnaces  were  built  in  1840,  by  the  Mount  Savage 
Company,  to  use  coke.  This  enterprise  was  also  successful.  But 
the  use  of  coke  did  not  come  rapidly  into  favor,  and  many  experi- 
ments with  it  were  attended  with  loss. 

In  1849  there  were  only  four  furnaces  in  Pennsylvania  which 
were  classed  as  coke  furnaces — those  of  the  Brady's  Bend  Iron 
Company,  and  they  made  no  iron  in  that  year.  In  1853  the 
Cambria  Iron  Company  built  four  coke  furnaces  at  Johnstown, 
which  were  blown  in  successfully,  and  have  been  in  almost  constant 
operation  to  this  day.  In  1854,  so  slowly  had  the  whole  country 
progressed  in  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron  from  raw  bituminous 
coal  and  coke,  that  the  total  production  from  these  two  kinds  of 
fuel  in  that  year  was  only  54,485  net  tons,  Pennsylvania  making 
29,941  tons;  Ohio,  15,000  tons;  and  other  States,  9,544  tons.  In 
1876  the  make  of  bituminous  coal  and  coke  pig  iron  in  the  whole 
country  exceeded  that  of  anthracite,  and  was  more  than  treble 
that  of  charcoal.  In  that  year  the  production  of  pig  iron  was  as 
follows :  bituminous  coal  and  coke,  990,009  net  tons ;  anthracite, 
794,578  tons;  charcoal,  308,649  tons:  total,  2,093,236  net  tons. 


First  Use  of  Anthracite  Coal  in  the  Manufacture  of  Pig  Iron. — 
Down  to  1838  all  the  blast  furnaces  in  the  United  States,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  coke  furnaces,  used  charcoal  for  fuel.  In 
that  year  pig  iron  was  successfully  made  in  Pennsylvania  from 
anthracite  coal.  We  present  below  a  complete  account  of  the  first 
steps  that  were  taken  to  use  the  new  fuel  in  blast  furnaces. 

In  1840  Jesse  B.  Quinby  testified,  in  the  suit  of  Farr  &  Kunzi 
against  the  Schuylkill  Navigation  Company,  that  he  used  anthra- 


FIRST   ANTHRACITE   PIG   IRON    IN   THE   UNITED   STATES.        73 


cite  coal  at  Harford  furnace,  Maryland,  mixed  with  one-half  char- 
coal, in  1815.  He  believed  himself  to  be  the  first  person  in  the 
United  States  to  use  anthracite  coal  in  smelting  iron.  In  1826  the 
Lehigh  Goal  and  Navigation  Company  erected  near  Mauch  Chunk 
a  small  furnace  intended  to  use  anthracite  in  smelting  iron.  The 
enterprise  was  not  successful.  In  1827  unsuccessful  experiments 
in  smelting  iron  with  anthracite  coal  from  Rhode  Island  were  made 
at  one  of  the  small  blast  furnaces  in  Kingston,  Plymouth  county, 
Massachusetts.  These  experiments  failed  because  the  blast  used 
was  cold.  About  1827  a  similar  failure  in  the  use  of  anthracite 
took  place  at  Vizille,  in  France.  Doubtless  other  unsuccessful 
attempts  than  those  here  recorded  were  made  to  smelt  iron  ore 
with  anthracite  coal,  but  these  were  probably  the  earliest. 

In  1828  Ja'mes  B.  Neilson,  of  Scotland,  obtained  a  patent  for  the 
use  of  hot  air  in  the  smelting  of  iron  ore  in  blast  furnaces,  and  in 
1837  the  smelting  of  iron  ore  with  anthracite  coal  by  means  of  the 
Neilson  hot-blast  was  successfully  accomplished  by  George  Crane, 
at  his  ironworks  at  Ynyscedwin,  in  Wales.  Mr.  Crane  began  the 
use  of  anthracite  with  hot  blast  on  the  7th  of  February,  1837,  in  a 
blast  furnace,  obtaining  36  tons  a  week.  In  May  of  that  year  Solo- 
mon W.  Roberts  of  Philadelphia  visited  his  works  and  witnessed 
the  complete  success  of  the  experiment.  Mr.  Crane  had  taken  out 
a  patent  on  the  28th  of  September,  1836,  for  smelting  iron  ore  with 
anthracite  coal.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Roberts,  after 
his  return  from  Wales,  the  Lehigh  Crane  Iron  Company  was  organ- 
ized in  1838  to  manufacture  pig  iron  from  the  anthracite  coal  of  the 
Lehigh  valley.  In  that  year  Erskine  Hazard  went  to  Wales  for 
the  company,  and  there  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  process 
of  making  anthracite  iron.  He  ordered  to  be  made  such  machin- 
ery as  was  necessary,  under  the  direction  of  George  Crane,  the 
inventor,  and  engaged  David  Thomas,  who  was  familiar  with  the 
process,  to  take  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  works  and  the  manu- 
facture of  the  iron.  Mr.  Thomas  arrived  in  the  summer  of  1839,  and 
to  his  faithful  and  intelligent  management  much  of  the  success  of 
the  enterprise  is  due.  The  first  furnace  of  this  company  was  suc- 
cessfully blown  in  on  the  4th  of  July,  1840.  But  it  was  not  the 
first  successful  anthracite  furnace  in  this  country,  as  will  presently 
appear. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1833,  a  patent  was  granted  to  Dr.  F. 
W.  Geissenheimer,  of  New  York,  for  smelting  iron  ore  with  anthra- 
cite coal,  by  the  application  of  heated  air.  Dr.  Geissenheimer  made 


74  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


experiments  in  smelting  iron  ore  with  anthracite  at  the  Valley 
furnace,  northeast  of  Pottsville,  but  they  were  not  successful, 
although  the  results  achieved  were  highly  encouraging. 

In  1836-7  John  Pott  experimented  at  Manheim  furnace,  at 
Cressona,  in  Schuylkill  county,  with  anthracite  coal  as  a  fuel  for 
smelting  iron  ore.  The  experiment  was  so  far  successful  as  to 
satisfy  Mr.  Pott  that  the  scheme  was  practicable,  but  for  some  un- 
explained reason  the  furnace  was  not  operated  for  some  time  after 
the  experiment  was  made.  It  was  then  remodeled  and  enlarged  to 
better  adapt  it  to  the  use  of  anthracite  coal,  but  before  the  furnace 
was  quite  ready  to  be  blown  in  an  ice  freshet  in  the  early  spring  of 
1841  swept  away  furnace,  forge,  and  all.  This  was  the  end  of 
Manheim  ironworks.  Mr.  Pott  is  certainly  entitled  to  the  honor  of 
having  been  one  of  the  first  to  satisfactorily  experiment  with 
anthracite  coal  in  the  blast  furnace.  Of  the  character  of  the  blast 
used  by  him  we  are  not  advised. 

In  1837  Jar  vis  Van  Buren,  acting  for  a  company,  built  a  furnace 
at  South  Easton,  in  Northampton  county,  for  the  purpose  of  experi- 
menting with  anthracite  coal  as  a  fuel.  Early  in  1838  he  was  suc- 
cessful in  making  twenty  tons  of  pig  iron,  when  further  operations 
were  stopped  in  consequence  of  the  blast  being  too  weak.  We  are 
not  informed  whether  the  blast  was  hot  or  cold. 

Late  in  1837  Messrs.  Joseph  Baughman,  Julius  Guiteau,  and 
Henry  High,  of  Reading,  experimented  in  smelting  iron  ore  with 
anthracite  coal  in  the  old  furnace  of  the  Lehigh  Coal  and  Navi- 
gation Company  at  Mauch  Chunk,  using  about  eighty  per  cent, 
of  anthracite.  The  results  were  so  encouraging  that  they  built  a 
small  water-power  furnace  near  the  Mauch  Chunk  weigh-lock, 
which  was  completed  in  July,  1838.  Blast  was  applied  to  this 
furnace  August  27,  and  discontinued  September  10,  the  tempera- 
ture being  heated  up  to  about  200°  F.  The  fuel  used  was  mainly 
anthracite,  but  not  exclusively.  A  new  heating  apparatus  was 
procured,  consisting  of  200  feet  of  cast-iron  pipe,  1 2  inches  thick, 
placed  in  a  brick  chamber  at  the  tunnel  head,  and  heated  by  a 
flame  therefrom.  Blast  was  applied  late  in  November,  1838,  the 
fuel  used  being  anthracite  exclusively,  and  "  the  furnace  worked 
remarkably  well  for  five  weeks,"  up  to  January  12,  1839,  when  it 
was  blown  out  for  want  of  ore.  Some  improvements  were  made,  and 
on  July  26,  1839,  the  furnace  was  again  put  in  blast  and  so  con- 
tinued until  November  2,  1839,  Mr.  F.  C.  Lowthrop,  of  Trenton, 
being  one  of  the  partners  at  this  time.  For  "  about  three  months  " 


FIRST   ANTHRACITE   PIG   IRON    IN   THE   UNITED   STATES.         75 


no  other  fuel  than  anthracite  was  used,  the  temperature  of  the  blast 
being  400°  to  600°  F.  Open  tuyeres  were  used.  About  100  tons  of 
iron  were  made. 

The  next  furnace  to  use  anthracite  was  the  Pioneer,  built  in  1837 
and  1838  at  Pottsville,  by  William  Lyman,  of  Boston,  under  the 
auspices  of  Burd  Patterson,  and  blast  was  unsuccessfully  applied 
July  10,  1839.  Benjamin  Perry,  who  had  blown  in  the  coke  fur- 
nace at  Farrandsville,  then  took  charge  of  it,  and  blew  it  in 
October  19, 1839,  with  complete  success.  This  furnace  was  blown 
by  steam-power.  The  blast  was  heated  in  ovens  at  the  base  of  the 
furnace,  with  anthracite,  to  a  temperature  of  600°,  and  supplied 
through  three  tuyeres  at  a  pressure  of  2  to  2  2  Ibs.  per  square  inch. 
The  product  was  about  28  tons  a  week  of  good  foundry  iron.  The 
furnace  continued  in  blast  for  some  time.  A  premium  of  $5,000 
was  paid  by  Nicholas  Biddle  and  others  to  Mr.  Lyman,  as  the  first 
person  in  the  United  States  who  had  made  anthracite  pig  iron 
continuously  for  one  hundred  days.  Danville  furnace,  in  Montour 
county,  was  built  by  Biddle,  Chambers  &  Co.,  and  was  success- 
fully blown  in  with  anthracite  in  April,  1840,  producing  35  tons  of 
iron  weekly  with  steam-power.  Roaring  Creek  furnace,  in  Montour 
county,  built  in  1839  by  Burd  Patterson  &  Co.,  was  next  blown  in 
with  anthracite,  May  18, 1840,  and  produced  40  tons  of  iron  weekly 
with  water-power.  A  charcoal  furnace  at  Phoenixville,  built  in 
1837  by  Reeves,  Buck  &  Co.,  was  blown  in  with  anthracite,  June  17, 
1840,  by  William  Firmstone,  and  produced  from  28  to  30  tons  of 
pig  iron  weekly  with  water-power.  The  hot-blast  stove,  which  was 
planned  and  erected  by  Julius  Guiteau,  of  the  Mauch  Chunk  fur- 
nace, was  situated  on  one  side  of  the  tunnel  head,  and  heated  by 
the  escaping  flame  of  the  furnace.  This  furnace  continued  in  blast 
until  1841.  Columbia  furnace,  at  Danville,  was  built  in  1839  by 
George  Patterson,  and  blown  in  with  anthracite  by  Mr.  Perry  on 
July  2d,  1840,  and  made  from  30  to  32  tons  of  iron  weekly,  using 
steam-power.  The  next  furnace  to  use  anthracite,  and  the  last  one 
we  shall  mention,  was  built  at  Catasauqua,  for  the  Lehigh  Crane 
Iron  Company,  in  1839,  by  David  Thomas.  It  was  successfully 
blown  in  by  him  on  the  4th  of  July,  1840,  as  we  have  stated,  and 
produced  50  tons  a  week  of  good  foundry  iron,  water-power  being 
used.  Mr.  Thomas  was  born  in  Wales  in  1794,  and  is  still  living  in 
the  full  enjoyment  of  all  his  faculties. 

Mr.  Firrnstone  writes  that,  at  three  of  the  above-mentioned  fur- 
naces, the  Mauch  Chunk,  Phoenixville,  and  Columbia,  the  hot-blast 


IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


ovens  were  heated  by  the  flame  escaping  from  the  furnace ;  at  the 
others  the  ovens  and  boilers  were  on  the  ground,  and  heated  by  inde- 
pendent  fires.  At  that  early  day  the  plan,  now  so  general,  of  con- 
veying the  escaping  gas  in  air-tight  conduits  to  the  boilers  and  ovens 
was  not  adopted.  It  was  introduced  by  C.  E.  Detmold,  a  German 
engineer,  now  of  New  York,  two  or  three  years  later.  This  methody 
which  has  since  been  greatly  improved  in  American  practice,  was 
patented  in  France  by  Thomas  &  Laurens,  and  in  Germany  by  Faber 
du  Faur.  Mr.  Detmold  was  the  agent  of  the  last-named  gentleman. 

It  will  be  observed  that,  while  Mr.  Neilson  invented  the  hot  blast, 
Dr.  Geissenheimer  was  the  first  to  propose  the  use  of  anthracite  coal 
by  means  of  heated  air  for  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron,  and  that 
Mr.  Crane  was  the  first  to  successfully  apply  the  hot  blast  of  Mr. 
Neil  son  to  this  purpose.  Dr.  Geissenheimer  experimented  as  early 
as  1833  with  ovens  for  heating  air  before  its  introduction  into  the 
blast  furnace  in  which  anthracite  was  used  as  a  fuel,  and  his  patent 
bears  date  in  that  year;  but  his  invention  was  not  successfully 
applied  until  after  Mr.  Crane  had  made  iron  at  Ynyscedwin.  Dr. 
Geissenheimer  is  entitled  to  the  honor  of  having  proposed  what 
Mr.  Crane  was  the  first  to  accomplish.  His  patent,  limited  to  the 
United  States,  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Crane,  who,  in  November, 
1838,  patented  some  additions  to  it  in  this  country.  The  patent 
was  never  enforced  here,  but  Mr.  Crane  compelled  the  ironmasters 
of  Great  Britain  to  pay  him  tribute.  Dr.  Geissenheimer  died  at 
Lebanon,  Pa.,  where  he  had  long  resided. 

The  discovery,  in  1839  and  1840,  that  anthracite  coal  could  be 
successfully  used  in  the  manufacture  of  pig  iron  gave  a  great 
impetus  to  the  iron  industry  in  Maryland,  New  Jersey,  and  New 
York,  as  well  as  in  Pennsylvania.  The  rich  magnetic  ores  of  New 
Jersey  were  first  smelted  with  anthracite  coal  by  Edwin  Post,  Esq., 
at  Stanhope,  in  1840.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1876,  there  were 
225  anthracite  furnaces  in  the  country ;  161  in  Pennsylvania. 

It  is  claimed  that  anthracite  coal  for  the  generation  of  steam  was 
first  used  in  this  country  in  1825  under  the  boilers  of  the  rolling- 
mill  at  Phoenixville.  It  is  also  claimed  that,  two  years  later,  in 
1827,  the  first  use  of  anthracite  coal  in  the  puddling  furnace  in  this 
country  was  at  the  same  rolling-mill.  Jonah  and  George  Thomp- 
son were  the  proprietors  at  the  time.  The  use  of  anthracite  for 
puddling  did  not  become  general  until  about  1840.  In  1839  Ralph 
Crooker  puddled  with  anthracite  at  the  Boston  Iron  Company's 
works.  About  1836  Thomas  and  Peter  Cooper,  brothers,  used  an- 


FIEST   BITUMINOUS   PIG   IRON   IN   THE   UNITED    STATES.         77 


thracite  in  a  heating  furnace  at  their  rolling-mill  in  Thirty-third 
street,  near  Third  avenue,  New  York,  and  about  1840  they  began  to 
puddle  with  anthracite. 

First  Use  of  Raw  Bituminous  Coal  in  the  Manufacture  of  Pig 
Iron. — The  bituminous  coal  of  Eastern  Ohio  and  Western  Penn- 
sylvania was  the  first  that  was  successfully  used  in  this  country  in 
its  raw  state  for  the  reduction  of  iron  ore  in  the  blast  furnace. 
In  1843  Day  writes  that  the  coal  in  the  vicinity  of  Sharon,  without 
coking,  "  has  been  tried  successfully  for  smelting  iron  in  a  common 
charcoal  furnace."  Doubtless  only  an  experimental  trial  is  here 
alluded  to.  The  further  history  of  the  beginning  of  this  branch 
of  our  iron  industry  is  circumstantially  and  we  believe  correctly 
stated  in  the  following  extract  from  a  pamphlet  entitled  Youngs- 
town,  Past  and  Present,  printed  in  1875. 

In  July,  1845,  Himrod  &  Vincent,  of  Mercer  county,  Pa.,  blew  in  the  Clay 
furnace,  not  many  miles  from  the  Ohio  line,  on  the  waters  of  the  Shenango. 
About  three  months  afterwards,  in  consequence  of  a  short  supply  of  charcoal, 
as  stated  by  Mr.  Davis,  their  founder,  a  portion  of  coke  was  used  to  charge 
the  furnace.  Their  coal  belongs  to  seam  No.  1,  the  seam  which  is  now  used 
at  Sharon  and  Youngstown,  in  its  raw  state,  variously  known  as  "  free-burning 
splint,"  or  "block  coal,"  and  which  never  makes  solid  coke.  A  difficulty 
soon  occurred  with  the  cokers,  and,  as  Mr.  Himrod  states,  he  conceived  the 
plan  of  trying  his  coal  without  coking.  The  furnace  continued  to  work  well, 
and  to  produce  a  fair  quality  of  metal.  At  the  same  time  Messrs.  Wilkinson, 
Wilkes  &  Co.  were  building  a  furnace  on  the  Mahoning,  at  Lowell,  Mahoning 
county,  Ohio,  intending  to  use  mineral  coal  from  seam  No.  1,  on  which  they 
owned  a  mine  near  Lowell.  The  credit  of  making  the  first  iron  with  raw 
bituminous  or  semi-bituminous  coal,  in  the  United  States,  belongs  to  one  of 
these  firms.  An  account  of  the  blowing  in  of  the  Lowell  furnace,  on  the  8th 
of  August,  1846,  may  be  seen  in  the  Trumbull  Democrat,  of  Warren,  dated 
August  15,  1846,  where  it  is  stated  that  to  "these  gentlemen  (Wilkinson, 
Wilkes  &  Co.)  belongs  the  honor  of  being  the  first  persons  in  the  United  States 
who  have  succeeded  in  putting  a  furnace  in  blast  with  raw  bituminous  coal." 
According  to  Mr.  Wilkes,  writing  from  Painesville,  April  2, 1869,  this  furnace 
was  run  with  coke  several  months,  but  at  what  time  it  does  not  state.  It  is 
admitted  that  Mr.  David  Himrod,  late  of  Youngstown,  produced  the  first  metal 
with  raw  coal,  about  the  close  of  the  year  1845,  and  has  continued  to  use  it  ever 
since.  The  friends  of  Wilkinson  &  Co.  claim  that  it  was  an  accident,  and  a 
necessity,  while  their  works  were  built  and  intended  for  raw  coal. 

In  1850  there  were  only  four  furnaces  in  the  Mahoning  valley 
and  only  seven  in  Pennsylvania  (in  Mercer  county)  which  used  raw 
bituminous  coal.  In  1876  there  were  in  the  country  206  furna- 
ces using  either  raw  or  coked  bituminous  coal  when  in  blast. 


78  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


First  Use  of  Lake  Superior  Iron  Ore  in  the  Blast  Furnace. — 
The  honor  of  having  first  used  the  iron  ore  of  Lake  Superior  in 
a  blast  furnace  is  clearly  due  to  David  and  John  P.  Agnew,, 
brothers,  proprietors  of  the  Sharps ville  furnace,  at  Sharpsville, 
Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania.  This  occurred  in  1853,  the  same 
year  in  which  three  or  four  tons  of  the  ore  were  shipped  to  the 
World's  Fair  at  New  York.  The  ore  used  at  Sharpsville  was 
procured  from  the  Jackson  mine,  the  pioneer  of  all  the  Lake 
Superior  iron  mines,  and  was  mined  and  shipped  before  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railroad  to  the  mine  or  the  building  of  the  docks 
at  Marquette.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  which  we  have 
received  from  Mr.  David  Agnew  gives  the  leading  facts  of  the 
important  experiment : 

I  claim  that  D.  &  J.  P.  Agnew  were  the  first  to  use  Lake  Superior  iron  ore 
in  a  blast  furnace,  (the  Sharpsville,)  and  that  the  experiment  was  successful. 
The  facts  are  as  follows:  A  small  amount  of  Lake  Superior  ore  was  brought 
from  Lake  Superior  before  the  completion  of  the  canal  and  locks  at  the  outlet 
of  the  lake,  at  a  heavy  expense,  merely  for  trial.  The  first  small  canal-boat 
load  from  Erie  was  by  request  brought  to  the  Sharpsville  furnace,  and  there 
used  as  stated.  The  second  boat-load  was  intended  to  be  left  at  Clay  furnace 
but  in  mistake  was  brought  on  to  Sharpsville,  and  the  next  day  was  reshipped 
back  to  Clay  furnace.  The  Sharon  Iron  Company,  owning  and  controlling 
this  ore,  (the  Jackson  mine,)  had  purchased  the  Clay  furnace,  and  very  natur- 
ally wished  to  try  it  in  their  own  furnace.  These  two  small  boat-loads  carried 
all  the  ore  received  from  Lake  Superior  until  the  following  year.  (1854,)  when 
our  connection  with  the  Sharpsville  furnace  had  ceased.  The  quantity  used 
by  us  was  small,  yet  sufficient  to  establish  our  claim. 

Mr.  Frank  Allen,  who  was  the  manager  of  Clay  furnace  in 
1853,  has  published  a  statement  which  corroborates  the  above  in 
all  essential  particulars,  but  also  shows  that  the  Clay  furnace  was 
the  first  in  the  country  to  make  the  manufacture  of  iron  from 
Lake  Superior  ore  a  regular  business  and  a  commercial  success. 
This  result  was  not  accomplished  until  1856.  Mr.  Allen  says : 

On  the  last  day  of  November,  in  1853,  Samuel  Clark  boated  a  load  of  said 
ore  from  the  Sharpsville  furnace  to  the  Clay  furnace  landing.  We  put  it 
through  the  furnace  and  sent  the  product  to  Sharon.  The  next  season  all 
the  Lake  Superior  ore  left  .over  at  the  Sharpsville  furnace  was  sent  to  us,  and 
during  the  years  1854-5,  and  until  August,  1856,  we  had  used  in  all  about 
400  tons  of  Lake  Superior  ore — some  of  it  alone,  but  most  of  it  mixed  with 
other  ores,  and  up  to  that  date  the  working  of  it  was  not  a  success. 

In  October,  1856,  we  gave  the  Clay  furnace  a  general  overhauling,  put  in  a 
new  lining  and  hearth,  and  made  material  changes  in  the  construction  of  the 


FIKST   CAST   STEEL   IN   THE   UNITED   STATES.  79 


same,  put  her  in  blast  late  in  the  fall,  and  in  a  few  days  were  making  a  beau- 
tiful article  of  iron  from  Lake  Superior  ore  alone,  and  this  was  then  consid- 
ered to  be  the  first  real  and  successful  working  of  said  ore  in  a  blast  furnace. 


Beginning  of  the  Manufacture  of  Cast  Steel  in  the  United  States. — 
German  or  blister  steel  was  made  at  an  early  day  in  several  of  the 
American  colonies,  and  the  steel  made  in  Pennsylvania  during  the 
last  century  and  the  early  years  of  the  present  century  was  of  this 
description.  Steel  of  this  quality  was  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
plowshares,  scythes,  shovels,  spades,  cross-cut  and  mill  saws,  etc. 
In  1805  there  were  two  steel  furnaces  in  Pennsylvania,  producing 
annually  150  tons  of  steel.  One  of  these  was  in  Philadelphia  coun- 
ty. In  1810  there  were  produced  in  the  country  917  tons  of  steel,  of 
which  Pennsylvania  produced  531  tons  in  five  furnaces — one  each 
in  Philadelphia  city,  and  in  Philadelphia,  Lancaster,  Dauphin,  and 
Fayette  counties.  In  1813  there  was  a  steel  furnace  at  Pittsburgh, 
owned  by  Tuper  &  McKowan.  In  1829  an  Englishman  named 
Broadmeadow  and  his  son  made  blister  steel  at  Pittsburgh,  and 
about  1831  they  melted  cast  steel  of  low  grade  in  pots  of  their  own 
manufacture.  Their  establishment  was  located  at  Bayardstown, 
near  the  old  Fifth  Ward  market-house.  Josiah  Ankrim  &  Son,  file- 
makers,  at  Pittsburgh,  are  said  to  have  succeeded  in  making  their 
own  steel  about  1830.  In  1831  Messrs.  Whitmore  &  Havens  suc- 
cessfully produced  blister  steel  at  Pittsburgh.  In  this  year  there 
were  in  the  country  fourteen  steel  furnaces  for  the  manufacture 
of  low-grade  steel — two  in  Pittsburgh,  one  in  Baltimore,  three 
in  Philadelphia,  three  in  New  York,  one  in  York,  Pa.,  one  in  Troy, 
two  in  New  Jersey,  and  one  in  Boston.  Their  united  capacity  was 
1,600  tons  of  steel  annually.  No  crucible  cast  steel  was  then  made 
in  the  United  States,  although  there  had  been  various  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  make  it.  In  1833  the  firm  of  G.  &  J.  H.  Shoenberger 
commenced  to  manufacture  blister  steel  at  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1841 
they  attempted  the  manufacture  of  crucible  cast  steel,  but  only  to 
add  another  to  the  list  of  failures.  About  1840  the  firm  of  Isaac 
Jones  &  William  Coleman  was  formed  at  Pittsburgh  to  manufac- 
ture blister  and  spring  steel,  which  business  they  successfully 
prosecuted  until  1845,  when  they  were  succeeded  by  Jones  & 
Quigg,  who  built  the  Pittsburgh  steel  works.  In  1846  Coleman, 
Hailman  &  Co.  commenced  the  manufacture  of  blister  and  plow 
steel  at  Pittsburgh.  Both  of  these  firms  were  successful  in  making 


80  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


all  but  first  quality  cast  steel.  The  first  slab  of  cast  plow  steel 
ever  rolled  in  America  was  rolled  by  William  Woods,  at  the  steel 
works  of  Jones  &  Quigg,  in  1846,  and  shipped  to  John  Deere,  of 
Moline,  Illinois.  About  1846  the  firm  of  Tingle  &  Sugden,  file- 
makers,  at  Pittsburgh,  made  their  own  steel.  In  1850  the  manu- 
facture of  American  steel,  all  of  low-grade  quality,  cast  and  blister, 
was  confined  to  a  few  establishments,  nearly  all  of  which  were  in 
Pennsylvania.  In  that  year  thirteen  establishments  in  Pennsyl- 
vania made  6,078  tons  of  steel,  of  which  only  44  tons  were  cast 
steel.  Of  the  thirteen  establishments,  six  were  in  Pittsburgh. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  all  the  works  in  the  State  engaged  in 
the  conversion  of  steel  in  1850,  with  their  product :  James  Row- 
land &  Co.,  Kensington,  Philadelphia,  600  tons ;  J.  Robbins,  Ken- 
sington, 500  tons  ;  Earp  &  Brink,  Kensington,  100  tons ;  Robert  S. 
Johnson,  Kensington,  400  tons ;  W.  &  H.  Rowland,  Oxford,  Phila- 
delphia, 700  tons ;  R.  &  G.  D.  Coleman,  Martic,  Lancaster  county, 
400  tons ;  R.  H.  &  W.  Coleman,  Castlefin,  York  county,  100  tons ; 
Singer,  Hartman  &  Co.,  Pittsburgh,  Allegheny  county,  700  tons ; 
Coleman,  Hailman  &  Co. ,  Pittsburgh,  800  tons ;  Jones  &  Quigg, 
Pittsburgh,  1,200  tons;  Spang  &  Co.,  Pittsburgh,  200  tons;  G.  & 
J.  H.  Shoenberger,  Pittsburgh,  200  tons;  S.  McKelvy,  Pittsburgh, 
178  tons,  these  works  having  been  in  operation  only  six  months : 
total,  13  works,  with  an  annual  product  of  6,078  tons.  Of  this 
quantity  only  44  tons  were  cast  steel,  as  already  stated. 

In  1852  McKelvy  &  Blair,  of  Pittsburgh,  made  cast  steel  of 
good  quality,  but  not  of  the  best.  In  1853  the  firm  of  Singer,  Nim- 
ick  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  which  had  been  organized  in  1848,  and 
in  1855  Isaac  Jones,  then  doing  business  in  his  own  name,  were 
successful  in  producing  the  higher  grades  of  cast  steel  for  saw, 
machinery,  and  agricultural  purposes,  but  they  did  not  make  tool 
steel  of  the  best  quality  as  a  regular  product.  That  honor  was 
reserved  for  a  new  firm,  beginning  business  in  1859.  In  that  year 
the  firm  of  Hussey,  Wells  &  Co.  was  successful  in  making  cruci- 
ble cast  steel  of  best  quality  as  a  regular  product  at  Pittsburgh, 
and  three  years  later  the  firm  of  Park,  Brother  &  Co.,  also  of 
Pittsburgh,  accomplished  the  same  achievement.  These  were,  we 
believe,  the  first  firms  in  the  country  to  meet  with  complete  success 
in  this  difficult  department  of  American  manufacturing  enterprise. 
Hussey,  Wells  &  Co.  were  also  the  first  in  the  country  to  fully 
demonstrate  the  fact  that  American  iron  is  equal  to  the  best 
Swedish  iron  in  the  manufacture  of  best  cast  steel. 


INTRODUCTION   OF   THE   BESSEMER   PROCESS.  81 


The  manufacture  of  crucible  and  other  steel  in  this  country  has 
received  an  immense  impetus  since  1860.  In  that  year  there  were 
thirteen  steel-making  establishments  in  the  country,  and  in  1870 
there  were  thirty,  all  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  steel  other 
than  Bessemer.  In  1876,  omitting  Bessemer  works,  there  were 
sixty  steel  works  in  the  United  States,  of  which  thirty-nine  made 
crucible  cast  steel,  and  the  remainder  made  puddled  steel,  open- 
hearth  steel,  or  steel  from  steel  scrap.  Of  the  thirty-nine  which 
made  crucible  steel,  seven  also  made  German  or  blister  steel.  Of 
these  thirty-nine  works,  nineteen  were  located  in  Pennsylvania, 
most  of  them  in  Pittsburgh  and  its  vicinity. 


Introduction  of  the  Bessemer  Process  into  the  United  States. — The 
origin  of  the  pneumatic  or  Bessemer  process  for  converting  pig  iron 
into  steel,  through  which  a  complete  revolution  in  the  manufacture 
of  iron  has  already  been  effected,  is  scarcely  twenty  years  old,  al- 
though experiments  looking  to  this  result  were  commenced  about 
twenty-six  years  ago.  The  process  has  been  briefly  explained  to 
consist  in  forcing  into  molten  pig  iron,  contained  in  a  suitable  vessel 
called  a  converter,  streams  of  air  under  a  high  pressure,  and,  by  the 
combination  thus  effected  between  the  oxygen  of  the  air  and  the 
carbon  and  silicon  in  the  iron,  decarburizing  and  desiliconizing  the 
metal  to  the  extent  necessary  to  produce  the  desired  temper  of  steel ; 
the  product  thus  made  being  cast  into  ingots  or  other  forms,  and 
treated  in  like  manner  as  is  customary  in  working  cast  steel. 

The  first  person  to  suggest  and  to  experiment  upon  the  blowing  of 
air  into  and  through  molten  crude  iron  in  a  crucible  or  vessel  with- 
out the  use  of  fuel  to  retain  the  metal  in  the  molten  condition  is 
believed  to  have  been  William  Kelly,  an  ironmaster  of  Eddyville, 
Kentucky,  who  began  at  his  furnace  (Suwaunee)  a  series  of  experi- 
ments based  upon  this  theory  as  early  as  1851,  a  theory  or  principle 
which  he  patented  in  1857.  Henry  Bessemer,  of  England,  whose 
name  has  been  given  to  the  pneumatic  process,  secured  his  first  pat- 
ents for  the  manufacture  of  steel  in  1855,  but  he  did  not  announce 
his  discovery  of  the  pneumatic  process  until  February  12, 1856,  when 
it  was  patented.  Mr.  Bessemer  secured  patents  in  this  country  in 
the  same  year,  but  Mr.  Kelly's  claim  of  priority  of  invention  was 
subsequently  allowed  by  the  Patent  Office.  But  neither  Mr.  Kelly 
nor  Mr.  Bessemer  was  successful  in  making  steel  by  the  method 
each  had  respectively  adopted. 


82  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Mr.  Bessemer's  process  having  failed  to  produce  any  successful 
result  in  the  manufacture  of  steel,  Robert  F.  Mushet,  then  of  the 
Forest  steel  works,  and  now  of  Cheltenham,  England,  took  out,  on 
the  22d  of  September,  1856,  a  patent  for  his  process  of  adding  to 
molten  pneumatized  iron  a  molten  triple  compound  of  iron,  carbon, 
and  manganese,  of  which  compound  spiegeleisen  was  at  that  time 
the  cheapest  and  most  convenient  form.  The  addition  of  from  one 
to  five  per  cent,  of  this  compound  to  Bessemerized  cast  iron  at  once 
overcame  the  obstacle  which  had  been  fatal  to  the  success  of  Mr. 
Bessemer's  invention.  Pending  the  publication  of  Mr.  Mushet's 
patent,  early  in  1857,  and  during  the  erection  for  him  of  a  blowing 
apparatus  and  small  converter,  provided  by  the  late  Samuel  Holdeii 
Blackwell,  of  Dudley,  Mr.  Mushet  obtained  from  the  Ebbw  Vale 
Iron  Company  a  supply  of  Bessemerized  hematite  cast  iron.  This 
he  melted  in  ordinary  steel  melting-pots,  adding  to  the  forty-four 
pounds'  charge  of  each  pot,  when  melted,  two  pounds  of  melted 
spiegeleisen.  From  this  mixture  ingots  of  from  500  to  800  pounds 
were  cast,  and  one  of  these  ingots  was  rolled  at  the  Ebbw  Vale  iron- 
works into  a  double-headed  rail,  which  was  sent  to  Derby  railway 
station,  on  the  Midland  Railroad,  to  be  laid  down  there  at  a  place 
where  iron  rails  had  sometimes  to  be  renewed  within  three  months. 
This  was  early  in  1857.  Sixteen  years  afterwards,  in  June,  1873, 
the  rail  referred  to  was  taken  out.  This  was  the  first  Bessemer  steel 
rail  ever  laid  down,  and  during  its  life-time  about  1,250,000  trains 
and  a  like  number  of  detached  engines  and  tenders  passed  over  it. 

Having,  early  in  1857,  obtained  the  already-mentioned  blowing 
apparatus  and  converter,  Mr.  Mushet  was  enabled  in  that  year  to 
cast  small  ingots  of  tool  steel  by  the  direct  Bessemer  process,  with 
the  addition  of  spiegeleisen  by  his  own  process.  The  first  charge  of 
Bessemer  steel  ever  made  with  the  addition  of  spiegeleisen  was  tapped 
from  the  small  converter  at  Mr.  Mushet's  Forest  steel  works  by  a 
young  workman,  William  Phelps,  an  iron  miner,  who  is  now,  if 
living,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

In  1858  Mr.  Goran  Goransson,  a  Swedish  ironmaster,  operating 
upon  fine  manganesic  Swedish  pig  iron,  wras  enabled  to  produce 
Bessemer  steel  of  excellent  quality  without  adding  spiegeleisen. 
Since  then  the  Bessemer  process  has  made  rapid  progress.  Except 
in  a  few  instances,  when  pure  manganesic  pig  iron  can  be  obtained, 
Mr.  Mushet's  process  still  continues  to  be  absolutely  essential  in 
the  manufacture  of  Bessemer  steel.  But  Mr.  Mushet,  from  adverse 
causes,  over  which  he  had  no  control,  never  received  in  his  own 


INTRODUCTION    OF   THE    BESSEMER   PROCESS.  83 


country,  nor  in  any  European  country,  the  reward  which  was  fairly 
due  to  him.  The  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  of  England,  however,  in 
1876  awarded  to  him  the  Bessemer  gold  medal  for  that  year,  in 
recognition  of  the  great  value  of  his  discovery. 

While  the  Bessemer  process  was  being  perfected  abroad,  Mr, 
Kelly  was  experimenting  with  his  invention  in  this  country.  These 
experiments  were  largely  conducted  in  1857-8-9  at  the  Cambria 
ironworks,  at  Johnstown.  The  first  pneumatic  converter  in  Amer- 
ica was  built  at  Johnstown  for  Mr.  Kelly,  but  no  true  steel  was  con- 
verted in  it,  although  refined  iron  was  successfully  produced. 

In  May,  1863,  E.  B.  Ward,  of  Detroit,  Hon.  Daniel  J.  Morrell, 
of  Johnstown,  William  M.  Lyon  and  James  Park,  Jr.,  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  Z.  S.  Durfee,  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts,  having  obtained 
control  of  the  patents  of  William  Kelly,  organized  the  Kelly  Pro- 
cess Company,  under  an  agreement  which  gave  the  inventor  and 
his  representatives  an  interest  which  has  proved  to  be  valuable. 
The  company  resolved  to  establish  experimental  works,  and  also  to 
acquire  the  patents  in  this  country  of  Mr.  Mushet  for  the  use  of 
spiegeleisen.  Experimental  works  were  accordingly  established  at 
Wyandotte,  Michigan,  and  Mr.  Durfee  was  sent  to  England  to 
procure  an  assignment  of  Mr.  Mushet's  patents.  The  latter  pur- 
pose was  effected  on  the  24th  of  October,  1864,  upon  terms  which 
admitted  Mr.  Mushet,  Thomas  D.  Clare,  and  John  N.  Brown,  of 
England,  to  membership  in  the  Kelly  Process  Company.  On  the 
5th  of  September,  1865,  the  company  was  further  enlarged  by  the 
admission  to  membership  of  Charles  P.  Chouteau,  James  Harrison, 
and  Felix  Valle,  all  of  St.  Louis. 

The  control  in  this  country  of  Mr.  Bessemer's  original  process, 
with  all  of  the  machinery  necessary  to  its  application,  was  obtained 
in  1864  by  John  F.  Winslow,  John  A.  Griswold,  and  Alexander  L. 
Holley,  all  of  Troy,  New  York,  Mr.  Holley  visiting  England  in  the 
interest  of  himself  and  associates.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  licen- 
sees of  the  Kelly  patents  succeeded  in  making  Bessemer  steel  at 
their  experimental  works  at  Wyandotte,  the  works  being  under  the 
general  direction  of  William  F.  Durfee,  who  then  made  the  first 
Bessemer  steel  in  America.  In  February,  1865,  Mr.  Holley  was 
successful  at  Troy  in  producing  Bessemer  steel  at  experimental 
works  which  he  had  constructed  at  that  place  in  1864  for  the 
licensees  of  the  Bessemer  patents,  Messrs.  Winslow,  Griswold  and 
Holley.  But  as  the  licensees  of  the  Kelly  patents  could  not  achieve 
success  without  Mr.  Bessemer's  machinery,  and  as  the  owners  of 


34  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  right  to  use  this  machinery  could  not  make  steel  without  Mr. 
Mushet's  improvement,  an  arrangement  was  effected  by  which  all 
the  patents  were  consolidated  early  in  1866.  Under  this  arrange- 
ment, the  titles  to  the  Kelly,  Bessemer,  and  Mushet  patents  were 
vested  in  Messrs.  Winslow,  Griswold,  and  Morrell,  the  first  two 
being  owners  of  two-thirds  of  the  property,  and  Mr.  Morrell  hold- 
ing the  other  third  in  trust  for  the  members  of  the  Kelly  Process 
Company.  This  arrangement  continued  until  the  formation  of  the 
Pneumatic  Steel  Association,  a  joint-stock  company  organized  under 
the  laws  of  New  York,  in  which  the  ownership  of  the  consolidated 
patents  was  continued,  Mr.  Morrell  being  the  president  and  Z.  S. 
Durfee  the  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  consolidation,  in  1866,  of 
the  various  interests,  which  was  effected  mainly  through  the  exer- 
tions of  Mr.  Morrell,  was  followed  by  a  large  reduction  in  the  fees 
and  royalties  charged  to  licensees,  and  thenceforward  the  business  of 
making  Bessemer  steel  was  rapidly  extended  in  this  country.  The 
Pennsylvania  steel  works,  at  Harrisburg,  were  the  first  works  in 
the  country,  after  those  at  Troy,  to  make  Bessemer  steel  as  a  com- 
mercial product,  their  first  blow  taking  place  in  June,  1867.  The 
fourth  Bessemer  steel  works  in  the  country  were  erected  near  Lew- 
istown,  Pa.,  and  were  known  as  the  Freedom  iron  and  steel  works. 
They  made  their  first  blow  May  1,  1868.  They  did  not  produce 
a  good  quality  of  steel,  and  in  1870  the  company  failed  and  the 
works  were  abandoned.  To-day  Pennsylvania  possesses  five  out  of 
eleven  Bessemer  steel  establishments  in  the  United  States. 

Important  improvements  upon  Mr.  Bessemer's  machinery  have 
been  invented  and  patented  by  Mr.  Holley  and  other  American  en- 
gineers, and  the  blooming  mill  for  the  reduction  of  steel  ingots, 
erected  first  at  the  Cambria  ironworks  by  George  Fritz  and  patent- 
ed by  him,  has  proved  to  be  of  great  value.  The  Bessemer  process 
has  also  been  improved  by  the  professional  chemists  connected 
with  the  American  works,  who  are  gradually  emancipating  the  do- 
mestic manufacture  from  all  dependence  upon  foreign  metals  and 
ores.  It  is  universally  admitted  that  in  the  United  States  this 
industry  has  been  brought  to  a  higher  state  of  perfection  than  it 
has  attained  in  any  other  country. 

The  first  Bessemer  steel  rails  ever  rolled  in  this  country  were 
rolled  at  the  North  Chicago  rolling-mill,  on  the  24th  day  of  May, 
1865,  from  hammered  blooms  made  at  the  Wyandotte  rolling-mill 
from  ingots  of  steel  made  at  the  experimental  steel  works  at  Wyan- 
dotte. The  American  Iron  and  Steel  Association  was  in  session  at 


INTRODUCTION    OF   THE   SIEMENS   GAS   FURNACE.  85 


Chicago  at  the  time,  and  several  of  its  members  witnessed  the  roll- 
ing of  these  rails.  One  of  the  rails  was  taken  to  the  hall  occupied 
by  the  Association,  and  exhibited,  and  was  subsequently  placed  on 
exhibition  in  the  lobby  of  the  Tremont  House.  The  rolls  upon 
which  the  blooms  were  rolled  at  the  North  Chicago  rolling-mill 
were  those  which  had  been  in  use  for  rolling  iron  rails,  and,  though 
the  reduction  was  quite  too  rapid  for  steel,  the  rails  came  out  sound 
and  well  shaped.  Several  of  these  rails  were  laid  in  the  track  of 
one  of  the  railroads  running  out  of  Chicago,  and  were  still  in  use 
in  1875.  The  first  steel  rails  rolled  in  the  United  States  upon 
order,  in  the  way  of  regular  business,  were  rolled  by  the  Cambria 
Iron  Company,  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  in  August,  1867,  from  ingots 
made  at  the  works  of  the  Pennsylvania  Steel  Company,  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pa. ;  and  by  the  Spuyten  Duyvil  Rolling-Mill  Company,  at 
Spuyten  Duyvil,  N.  Y.,  early  in  September  of  that  year,  from  ingots 
made  at  the  Bessemer  steel  works,  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  then  owned  by 
Messrs.  Winslow  &  Griswold. 


Introduction  of  the  Siemens  Gas  Furnace  and  Siemens- Martin  Pro- 
cess into  the  United  States. — In  1856  Dr.  C.  W.  Siemens,  of  London, 
England,  the  present  president  of  the  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  of 
that  country,  gave  his  attention,  in  conjunction  with  his  brother, 
Frederick  Siemens,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Hanover,  in  Ger- 
many, to  the  construction  of  a  gas  furnace  for  the  manufacture 
of  iron,  steel,  glass,  and  other  products  which  require  a  high  and 
uniform  heat.  These  gentlemen  were  successful  in  inventing  the 
Siemens  regenerative  gas  furnace,  which  has  since  been  largely 
adopted  in  Europe  and  in  this  country.  In  1864  Messrs.  Emile  and 
Pierre  Martin,  of  the  Sireuil  Works,  in  France,  with  the  assistance  of 
Dr.  Siemens,  erected  one  of  these  furnaces  to  melt  steel.  In  this 
furnace  they  produced  cast  steel  of  good  quality  and  various  tempers, 
and  at  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1867  their  product  secured  for  them 
a  gold  medal.  The  Messrs.  Martin  subsequently  obtained  patents  for 
various  inventions  of  their  own  which  were  applicable  to  the  manu- 
facture of  steel  by  the  Siemens  furnace. 

Dr.  Siemens  had  given  his  attention  to  the  production  of  cast 
steel  upon  the  hearth  of  a  Siemens  furnace  since  1861,  but  had  en- 
countered great  practical  difficulties  in  establishing  the  process  at 
the  works  of  licensees  of  his  furnace,  namely,  Charles  Attwood,  at 
Tow  Law,  in  1862,  and  the  Barrow  hematite  works  and  the  Four- 
chambault  works  in  1863  and  1864.  Dr.  Siemens  claims,  in  a  letter 


IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


that  is  now  before  us,  that,  both  at  Tow  Law  and  Fourchambault, 
oast  steel  had  been  produced  upon  the  open  hearth  of  a  Siemens 
furnace,  which  had  been  specially  constructed  by  himself  for  that 
purpose,  from  pig  metal,  spiegeleisen,  and  scrap  iron,  previous  to 
Messrs.  Martins'  connection  with  the  process.  The  furnace  at  Tow 
Law  was  a  small  one,  and  several  such  furnaces  are  still  working 
there  in  the  manner  originally  designed  by  Dr.  Siemens. 

In  1865  Dr.  Siemens  commenced  the  erection  at  Birmingham, 
in  England,  of  steel  works  of  his  own,  in  which  the  regenerative 
furnace  should  be  used  in  producing  steel.  These  works,  which 
were  fully  equipped  for  service  in  1867,  have  produced  most  satis- 
factory results.  The  Messrs.  Martin  gave  their  attention,  in  the 
language  of  Dr.  Siemens,  to  the  production  of  steel  by  the  dissolu- 
tion of  wrought  iron  and  steel  scrap  in  a  bath  of  pig  metal,  while 
his  efforts  were  more  especially  directed  to  the  production  of  steel 
by  the  use  of  pig  metal  and  iron  ores,  either  in  the  raw  state  or  in 
a  more  or  less  reduced  condition,  which  latter  process  is  the  one 
mostly  employed  in  the  United  Kingdom  to-day.  The  former,  or 
Siemens-Martin  process,  is  the  one  that  is  chiefly  used  in  this 
country,  and  the  credit  of  introducing  it  is  due  to  Hon.  Abram  S. 
Hewitt,  of  New  York,  who  was  favorably  impressed  with  it  when 
visiting  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1867  as  a  commissioner  of  the 
United  States.  By  his  request,  Mr.  Frederick  J.  Slade,  his  busi- 
ness associate,  went  to  Sireuil  to  study  the  process  in  order  to  put  it 
into  practice  in  this  country. 

On  the  1st  of  December,  1862,  Park,  McCurdy  &  Co.,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, sent  Mr.  Lewis  Powe,  the  manager  of  their  copper  mill,  to 
England  to  study  the  manufacture  of  tin  plates.  While  there  he 
visited  Birmingham,  and  saw  a  Siemens  gas  furnace  and  procured 
one  of  the  Siemens  pamphlets  containing  a  full  description  of  it. 
On  his  return  home  he  called  the  attention  of  Mr.  James  Park, 
Jr.,  to  the  advantages  of  the  furnace.  Immediately  after  July 
4,  1863,  the  erection  of  a  Siemens  gas  furnace  was  commenced  at 
the  copper  works.  This  furnace  was  erected  for  the  purpose  of 
melting  and  refining  copper,  and  was  completed  on  the  14th  day 
of  August,  1863.  It  worked  well.  It  was  constructed  after  the 
drawings  contained  in  the  Siemens  pamphlet.  In  the  fall  of  1863 
Mr.  Powe  revisited  England,  and  while  there  had  an  interview 
with  Dr.  Siemens.  Soon  afterwards  the  firm  of  Park,  Brother  & 
Co.  built  a  Siemens  furnace  to  heat  steel,  but  it  was  not  long  in 
use.  In  1864  James  B.  Lyon  &  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  built  a 


INTRODUCTION   OF   THE   SIEMENS   GAS    FURNACE.  87 


Siemens  gas  furnace  for  making  glass.  The  enterprise,  however, 
although  mechanically  successful,  met  with  an  accident  which 
suddenly  brought  it  to  an  end.  It  is  proper  to  state  that  the 
introduction  into  this  country  of  the  Siemens  furnace  by  the 
above-named  firms  was  accomplished  in  an  irregular  manner, 
without  first  obtaining  a  license  from  Dr.  Siemens,  who  had  pat- 
ented his  invention. 

The  first  Siemens  gas  furnace  which  was  regularly  introduced 
into  this  country  for  any  purpose  was  built  by  John  A.  Griswold 
&  Co.,  at  Troy,  New  York,  and  used  as  a  heating  furnace  in  their 
rolling-mill,  the  license  having  been  granted  on  the  18th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1867.  The  next  gas  furnace  which  was  regularly  introduced 
was  used  as  a  heating  furnace  by  the  Nashua  Iron  and  Steel  Com- 
pany, of  New  Hampshire,  the  license  for  which  was  granted  on  the 
26th  of  September,  1867.  The  next  furnace  which  was  regularly 
introduced  was  built  by  Anderson  &  Woods,  of  Pittsburgh,  for 
melting  steel  in  pots,  the  license  for  which  was  dated  in  November, 
1867.  About  1869  the  Lenox  plate-glass  works  in  Massachusetts 
also  built  a  Siemens  gas  furnace.  All  of  these  furnaces  gave 
satisfaction. 

The  first  open-hearth  furnace  introduced  into  this  country  for  the 
manufacture  of  steel  by  the  Siemens-Martin  process  was  built  in 
1868  by  Cooper,  Hewitt  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  works  of  the 
New  Jersey  Steel  and  Iron  Company  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey. 
The  building  of  this  furnace  was  commenced  by  this  company  in 
the  spring  of  1868,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  it  was  put 
in  operation. 

The  first  successful  application  in  this  country  of  the  Siemens 
furnace  to  the  puddling  of  iron  was  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
William  F.  Durfee,  at  the  rolling-mill  of  the  American  Silver  Steel 
Company,  at  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  in  1869.  Prior  to  this  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  accomplish  the  same  result  at 
the  Eagle  rolling-mill  of  James  Wood  &  Company,  at  Saw  Mill 
run,  near  Pittsburgh. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1877,  there  had  been  built  in  this  country 
187  Siemens  gas  furnaces  for  use  in  the  manufacture  of  steel  and 
of  iron  and  steel  products,  88  of  which  were  in  Pennsylvania.  Of 
the  whole  number,  35  were  used  in  the  production  of  crucible 
steel,  30  of  which  were  in  Pennsylvania,  and  21  were  used  in 
the  production  of  open-hearth  steel,  of  which  5  were  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  the  year  1876  there  were  produced  in  the  United  States 


88  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


21,490  net  tons  of  open-hearth  steel,  of  which  Pennsylvania  made 
7,547  tons. 

Experimental  works  have  been  erected  at  Pittsburgh  in  1877,  by 
Messrs.  Park,  Brother  &  Co.,  in  conjunction  with  Messrs.  Miller, 
Metcalf  &  Parkin,  for  the  manufacture  of  wrought  iron  by  a  direct 
process  invented  by  Dr.  Siemens,  and  successfully  tested  by  him  at 
his  experimental  works  at  Towcester,  England.  The  process  em- 
bodies the  application  of  the  Siemens  gas  furnace. 


The  Whitwell  Hot  Blast  was  first  applied  in  this  country  to  the 
Rising  Fawn  furnace,  in  Dade  county,  Georgia,  June  18th,  1875. 
The  first  application  of  this  hot-blast  in  Pennsylvania  was  made  at 
the  Dunbar  furnace,  in  Fayette  county,  in  February,  1877. 


First  Iron  Rails  Made  in  the  United  States. — It  has  been  stated 
by  an  English  writer  that  the  first  rails  used  upon  the  Stockton 
and  Darlington  Railroad,  the  first  complete  railroad  in  the  world, 
which  was  opened  in  1825,  were  of  wrought  iron,  rolled  fish-bellied, 
with  half-lap  joints  and  weighing  28  pounds  per  yard :  a  small 
portion  of  the  line  was  laid  with  cast-iron  fish-bellied  rails. 

The  first  iron  rails  of  any  kind  that  were  made  in  this  country 
were  made  of  cast  iron.  Solomon  W.  Roberts  gives  us  this  infor- 
mation concerning  them: — "The  Lehigh  Coal  and  Navigation 
Company  made  a  short  section  of  experimental  railroad  in  the 
summer  of  1826,  at  its  foundry  at  the  upper  end  of  the  town  of 
Mauch  Chunk,  and  a  car  was  run  upon  it.  The  idea  then  was  to 
make  a  road  with  rails  and  chairs  of  cast  iron,  like  those  in  use  at 
the  coal  mines  in  the  North  of  England.  After  casting  a  good 
many  rails,  each  about  four  feet  long,  the  plan  was  given  up  on 
account  of  its  being  too  expensive." 

Many  years  elapsed  after  the  first  railroad  was  built  in  this  coun- 
try before  iron  rails  were  made  in  American  rolling-mills.  Among 
the  proposals  to  furnish  rails  for  the  Columbia  and  Philadelphia 
Railroad,  received  in  May,  1831,  there  were  none  for  American 
iron,  and  the  whole  quantity  was  purchased  in  England.  Previous 
to  the  passage  of  the  tariff  act  of  1842,  rails  were  admitted  into 
this  country  virtually  free  of  duty.  On  the  passage  of  that  act 
some  American  capitalists  began  to  think  about  making  our  own 
rails. 

A  few  flat  rails  had  been  rolled  prior  to  1842,  but  such  rails 
were  only  bar  iron.  On  the  Mauch  Chunk  Railroad,  built  in  1827, 


FIRST   IRON    RAILS    MADE    IN    THE    UNITED   STATES.  89 

the  wooden  stringers  were  strapped  with  common  merchant  bar 
iron,  the  flat  bars  being  about  one  inch  and  a  half  wide  and  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  The  holes  for  the  spikes  were  drilled  by 
hand.  The  flat  rails  which  were  afterwards  made  differed  from 
merchant  bars  of  the  same  size  only  in  this,  that  the  rail  in  its  last 
passage  through  the  rolls  became  indented,  or  countersunk,  at  regu- 
lar distances.  The  centre  of  the  countersunk  surface  was  after- 
wards punched  through  for  admitting  the  spike.  As  late  as  1837, 
when  the  Erie  and  Kalamazoo  Railroad  was  in  course  of  construc- 
tion from  Toledo  to  Adrian,  it  was  proposed  to  put  down  wooden 
rails,  of  oak  studding  four  inches  square,  and  to  draw  the  cars  by 
horses.  But  wiser  counsels  prevailed,  and  by  great  exertions  suffi- 
cient funds  were  obtained  to  enable  the  management  to  iron  the  road 
with  flat  rails  five-eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  Flat  rails  continued 
in  use  in  this  country,  notwithstanding  the  introduction  of  heavier 
rails, down  to  about  1850.  "It  was  not  until  1850  that  the  longitu- 
dinal sill  and  the  flat  rail  were  entirely  removed  from  the  Utica  and 
Schenectady  Railroad,  the  most  important  link  in  the  New  York 
Central  line." 

In  1844  the  manufacture  of  heavy  iron  rails  in  this  country  was 
commenced  at  the  Mount  Savage  rolling-mill,  in  Alleghany  county, 
Maryland,  erected  in  1843  especially  for  rolling  these  rails.  The 
first  rail  rolled  at  the  Mount  Savage  rolling-mill,  and  for  which 
the  Franklin  Institute  of  Philadelphia  struck  a  silver  medal,  was 
a  U  rail,  known  in  Wales  as  the  Evans  patent,  of  Dowlais  iron- 
works, Merthyr  Tydvil.  It  was  intended  to  be  laid  on  a  wooden 
longitudinal  sill,  and  was  fastened  to  it  by  an  iron  wedge,  keying 
under  the  sill,  thus  doing  away  with  outside  fastenings.  This  rail 
weighed  42  Ibs.  to  the  yard,  and  about  500  tons  of  it  were  laid  in 
1844  on  a  part  of  the  road  then  being  built  between  Mount  Sav- 
age and  Cumberland,  a  distance  of  nine  miles.  It  was  understood 
at  the  time  to  be  the  first  heavy  railroad  iron  made  in  America. 

The  Montour  rolling-mill,  at  Danville,  Pa.,  was  built  in  1845 
expressly  to  roll  rails,  and  here  were  rolled  in  October  of  that  year 
the  first  T  rails  made  in  the  country.  The  first  T  rail  rolls  made 
in  this  country  were  made  for  the  Montour  Iron  Company  by  the 
firm  of  Haywood  &  Snider,  proprietors  of  the  Colliery  ironworks 
at  Pottsville,  the  work  being  done  at  their  branch  establishment  at 
Danville.  The  Boston  ironworks  were  started  in  January,  1824, 
to  manufacture  cut  nails,  hoops,  and  tack  plates,  but  they  subse- 
quently rolled  rails,  and  on  the  6th  of  May,  1846,  they  rolled  the 


90  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


first  T  rails  in  Massachusetts,  Ralph  Crocker  being  superintendent. 
In  1845  the  rolling-mill  of  Cooper  &  Hewitt  was  built  at  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.,  to  roll  heavy  rails,  and  on  the  19th  of  June,  1846, 
their  first  rail  was  rolled.  About  the  1st  of  September,  1846, 
the  New  England  Iron  Company,  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
commenced  to  roll  T  rails.  The  first  lot  of  these  rails  rolled 
by  the  company  was  delivered  to  the  Providence  and  Worcester 
Railroad,  September  11,  1846.  T  rails  were  rolled  in  November, 
1846,  at  Phoenixville,  Pa.;  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  at  the 
Great  Western  ironworks  at  Brady's  Bend,  Pa.;  early  in  1847 
at  the  Bay  State  rolling-mill,  in  Massachusetts,  then  owned  by 
the  Massachusetts  Iron  Company;  in  January,  1848,  at  the  Rough- 
and-Ready  rolling-mill  at  Danville,  Pa. ;  and  in  the  same  year  at 
Safe  Harbor,  Pa.  All  the  T  rails  made  at  the  mills  above  men- 
tioned were  rolled  with  a  base  or  flange  similar  to  that  of  the 
present  T  rail.  A  few  other  mills  rolled  heavy  rails  before  1850, 
but  at  the  beginning  of  that  year,  owing  to  low  duties,  only  two  out 
of  fifteen  rail-mills  in  the  country  were  in  operation.  It  has  been 
claimed  that  heavy  rails  in  this  country  were  first  made  at 
Brady's  Bend;  but  this  is  a  mistake,  as  the  dates  above  fully 
show.  The  mill  at  this  place  was  built  in  1841,  as  a  merchant 
bar  mill,  and  any  rails  that  it  may  have  made  prior  to  the  fall 
of  1846  were  flat  rails.  The  first  shipment  of  T  rails  made  by 
the  company  was  in  June,  1847,  by  keel-boat  on  the  Allegheny 
river  to  Pittsburgh. 

The  first  T  rails  imported  into  this  country  were  made  to  be  fitted 
into  cast-iron  chairs,  resting  upon  square  stone  blocks,  but  in  a  few 
years  wooden  cross-ties  were  used  instead  of  the  blocks.  On  the 
Boston  and  Lowell  Railroad,  which  was  completed  in  1835,  stone 
cross-ties  were  at  first  laid,  some  of  which  were  in  use  as  late  as 
1852.  A  thin  wedge  or  key  of  wrought  iron  was  driven  between 
the  inside  of  the  chair  and  the  rail,  to  keep  the  latter  firmly  in 
its  place,  and  the  operation  of  "  driving  keys  "  had  to  be  repeated 
almost  every  day,  owing  to  the  tendency  of  moving  trains  to  loosen 
them.  Rails  of  this  pattern  were  used  for  many  years  upon  the 
Allegheny  Portage  Railroad  in  Pennsylvania,  and  many  of  the 
stone  blocks  can  now  be  seen  in  its  abandoned  bed.  A  writer  on 
railroads,  in  Johnson's  Cyclopaedia,  states  that  the  first  T  rails  intro- 
duced into  this  country  were  laid  on  the  New  Orleans  and  Pont- 
chartrain  Railroad  in  1831.  Assuming  that  the  statement  is  cor- 
rect, the  pattern  used  was  undoubtedly  that  which  we  have  just 


IRON   SHIPBUILDING    IN   THE    UNITED    STATES.  91 


described.  Rails  made  with  the  broad  base  now  found  in  all  T 
rails  are  said  to  have  been  first  made  in  England  about  1836,  for 
the  Camden  and  Amboy  Railroad  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  inno- 
vation is  also  said  to  have  been  the  result  of  a  futile  effort  to 
roll  a  rail  and  chair  in  one  piece.  In  a  notice  of  Robert  Livings- 
ton Stevens,  in  the  American  Cyclopaedia,  it  is  stated  that  "  in 
1836  he  introduced  the  T  rail  on  the  Camden  and  Amboy  Rail- 
road, of  which  he  was  president  for  many  years."  The  refer- 
ence here  is  doubtless  to  the  present  form  of  the  T  rail.  It 
seems  strange  that  this  form  of  rail  should  not  have  become 
generally  popular  in  this  country  until  many  years  after  1836. 

The  first  thirty-foot  rail  rolled  in  this  country  is  claimed  to  have 
been  rolled  at  the  Cambria  ironworks  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  in  1855. 
These  rails  were  perfectly  made,  but  there  being  no  demand  for  them 
they  were  used  in  the  company's  tracks.  It  is  claimed  that  the  first 
thirty-foot  rails  rolled  in  the  country  on  order  were  rolled  at  the 
Montour  rolling-mill,  in  January,  1859,  for  the  Sunbury  and  Erie 
Railroad  Company. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that,  in  1876,  one  rolling-mill  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  Cambria  ironworks,  rolled  the  largest  aggregate  of  rails 
ever  rolled  in  one  year  by  one  mill  in  this  country.  Its  produc- 
tion of  rails  in  that  year  was  103,743  net  tons,  of  which  47,643  tons 
were  iron  rails  and  56,100  tons  were  steel  rails.  Beginning  busi- 
ness in  1853,  it  has  since  that  year  manufactured  one-tenth  of  the 
total  product  of  American  rails. 


Iron  Shipbuilding  in  the  United  States. — The  business  of  iron 
shipbuilding  in  this  country  may  properly  be  said  to  date  from  the 
year  1839,  when  an  iron  steamboat  was  built  at  Pittsburgh,  being 
the  first  enterprise  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States.  The  vessel 
was  called  the  Valley  Forge.  For  general  navigation  purposes  it 
was  completely  successful.  Other  iron  vessels  were  subsequently 
built  at  Pittsburgh  which  fully  realized  the  hopes  of  their  builders, 
among  them  an  iron  schooner  for  ocean  service,  and  an  iron  steam- 
er, the  Michigan,  for  service  on  the  lakes — both  built  by  order  of  the 
government  about  1842.  In  that  year  Captain  John  Ericsson,  of 
New  York,  furnished  designs  for  four  freight  propeller  iron  steamers 
which  were  built  for  the  Delaware  and  Raritan  Canal,  each  96  feet 
long,  24  feet  beam,  and  7  feet  deep.  In  1843  there  were  also  built 
after  his  designs  the  propeller  iron  steamer  Legare,  for  the  revenue 


92  IRONMAKING    IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


service,  150  feet  long,  26  feet  beam,  and  10  feet  deep,  and  four  pro- 
peller boats  for  the  Erie  Canal,  each  80  feet  long,  14  feet  beam,  and 
6  feet  deep.  In  the  same  year  Captain  Ericsson  built  two  steam 
passenger  boats  of  iron  to  run  on  the  James  River  Canal,  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  about  the  same  time  other  small  iron  vessels  were  built 
after  his  designs.  In  1846  an  iron  passenger  steamer,  the  Iron 
Witch,  220  feet  long,  27  feet  beam,  and  13  feet  deep,  was  built  at 
New  York,  after  a  design  furnished  by  Captain  Ericsson,  to  run  on 
the  Hudson  river  to  Albany.  About  1844  R.  B.  Forbes,  of  Boston, 
built  a  powerful  iron  wrecking  vessel  of  1,200  tons  burden.  The 
building  of  iron  vessels  made  but  slow  progress,  however,  until  after 
1860. 

During  the  civil  war  monitors  and  other  iron  vessels  were 
built  by  the  government,  and  Pittsburgh  furnished  many  of  the 
armor-plates  which  were  required  for  them.  The  contract  for 
the  construction  of  the  first  turreted  iron-clad  vessel  in  the  world, 
Ericsson's  Monitor,  was  made  by  the  United  States  Navy  Depart- 
ment on  the  4th  of  October,  1861,  with  Captain  Ericsson,  and  on 
the  9th  of  March  following  it  met  and  vanquished  the  Confederate 
iron-clad  Merrimack.  The  Monitor  foundered  on  the  13th  of  De- 
cember, 1862,  in  a  storm  off  Cape  Hatteras,  the  accident  being 
caused  by  mismanagement  of  the  turret. 

The  history  of  the  construction  of  this  historic  vessel  and  of 
other  monitors  built  during  the  war  is  worthy  of  preservation, 
although  not  embracing  all  the  monitors,  and  we  give  it  as  follows 
in  an  extract  from  a  letter  we  have  received  from  Captain  Ericsson. 
We  sought  in  vain  for  this  information  in  all  the  histories  of  the  war. 

The  Monitor  was  built  under  contract  between  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
and  John  Ericsson,  whose  sureties  were  John  F.  Winslow  and  John  A. 
Griswold  of  Troy,  and  C.  S.  Bushnell  of  New  Haven.  The  Monitor  in  all  its 
parts  was  designed  by  me — hull,  turret,  steam  machinery,  anchor-hoister,  gun- 
carriages,  etc.,  all  were  built  from  working  drawings  made  by  my  own  hands, 
furnishing  the  rare  instance  of  such  a  structure  in  all  its  details  emanating 
from  a  single  person.  In  carrying  out  the  contract  I  employed  theN  Novelty 
ironworks  to  build  the  turret;  the  Delamater  ironworks  to  build  the 
motive-engines,  propeller,  boilers,  turret-gear,  anchor-hoister,  gun-carriages, 
and  all  other  machinery ;  while  I  employed  Thomas  F.  Rowland,  of  Green- 
point,  to  build  the  hull,  attach  the  side  armor,  and  launch  the  vessel — a 
difficult  undertaking,  which  he  carried  out  with  much  skill.  The  turret- 
plating  and  armor-plating,  composed  of  a  series  of  plates  one  inch  thick, 
were  rolled  by  H.  Abbott  &  Son,  of  Baltimore. 

Six  monitor  iron-clads  of  the   Passaic   class,  viz.,   the  Passaic,   Montauk, 


IRON    SHIPBUILDING    IN   THE   UNITED   STATES.  93 


Catskill,  Patapsco,  Sangamon,  and  Lehigh,  were  also  built  under  contract 
between  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  and  myself,  the  sureties  being  the  gentle- 
men already  mentioned.  Of  these  six  vessels,  three  were  built  in  New  York 
and  three  on  the  Delaware.  I  also  built,  under  direct  contract  with  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  the  large  monitor  iron-clads,  Dictator  and  Puritan, 
the  hull  of  the  latter  being  built  by  Thomas  F.  Kowland,  at  Greenpoint, 
while  the  hull  of  the  Dictator  was  built  in  New  York  by  the  Delamater  iron- 
works. This  establishment  also  built  the  turrets  and  furnished  the  entire 
machinery  for  both  vessels,  likewise  from  working  drawings  prepared  by  me. 
Four  other  monitor  iron-clads  of  the  Passaic  class  were  also  built  by  other 
parties,  viz.,  Weehawken  and  Camanche,  built  at  Jersey  City,  and  the  Nahant 
and  Nantucket  at  Boston.  The  working  drawings  were,  however,  furnished 
by  myself.  The  entire  armor-plating  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the  hull- 
plating  of  the  several  monitor  iron-clads  built  by  me  were  rolled  by  H.  Abbott 
<&  Son,  of  Baltimore.  The  heavy  forgings  employed  in  constructing  the 
turrets  and  steam  machinery  of  the  foregoing  iron-clads  were  furnished  by 
the  Bridgewater  ironworks,  of  Massachusetts. 

The  following  monitor  iron-clads  were  also  built  after  my  plans :  Catawba 
and  Oneota,  built  at  Niles  Works,  Cincinnati;  Tippecanoe,  built  by  Miles 
Greenwood,  Cincinnati ;  Mahopac  and  Tecumseh,  built  by  Secor  &  Co.,  Jersey 
City  ;  Manhattan,  by  Ferine,  Secor  &  Co.,  Jersey  City ;  Canonicus,  by  Harrison 
Loring,  Boston,  Mass. ;  Manayunk,  by  Snowden  &  Mason,  Pittsburgh ; 
JSaugus,  by  Harlan  &  Hollingsworth,  Wilmington,  Del. 

The  Umpqua,  another  monitor,  was  built  at  Pittsburgh  in  1863. 
Among  the  iron  vessels  additional  to  the  monitors  which  were 
built  during  the  war  may  be  mentioned  the  New  Ironsides  and  the 
Dunderberg,  the  armor-plates  for  which  were  rolled  at  Pittsburgh. 

In  1868  five  iron  steamships  were  built  for  ocean  service.  Since 
that  year  over  two  hundred  iron  vessels  have  been  built  in  this 
country,  and  of  these  Pennsylvania  has  furnished  the  largest  ton- 
nage. The  total  tonnage  of  all  the  vessels  built  up  to  the  begin- 
ning of  1877  is  officially  stated  to  be  197,500,  the  whole  number 
of  vessels  being  251.  Of  these,  61  were  rated  from  1,000  to  2,000 
tons;  9  from  2,000  to  3,000  tons;  8  from  3,000  to  4,000  tons; 
and  2  over  5,000  tons;  the  remaining  171  were  under  1,000  tons. 
One  firm,  that  of  John  Roach  &  Son,  at  Chester,  Pa.,  has  built 
33  iron  steamers  since  1872,  having  a  total  tonnage  of  68,150. 
The  same  firm  has  in  the  same  time  paid  $14,890,000  for  ma- 
terials and  labor. 

Some  of  the  finest  iron  steamships  the  world  has  yet  seen  have 
been  built  on  the  Delaware.  The  only  line  of  passenger  steamships 
plying  between  this  country  and  Europe  which  is  wholly  owned  by 
Americans,  and  carries  the  American  flag,  is  the  American  Steam- 
ship Company's  line,  composed  of  four  magnificent  iron  vessels,  the 


94  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  built  at  Philadelphia  of 
Pennsylvania  iron  by  Cramp  &  Sons,  and  running  regularly  be- 
tween that  port  and  Liverpool.  No  finer  passenger  vessels  plow 
the  Atlantic.  Their  length  is  355  feet,  breadth  of  beam,  43  feet, 
and  depth  of  hold,  33  feet.  They  can  accommodate  76  first-class 
passengers  and  about  800  intermediate  and  steerage  passengers. 
Their  tonnage  capacity  is  3,100  tons  each ;  capacity  of  coal-bunk- 
ers, 720  tons  each.  Most  of  the  European  visitors  to  the  Centennial 
Exhibition  came  to  Philadelphia  and  returned  to  their  homes  in 
the  vessels  of  this  line.  They  have  made  so  favorable  an  impression 
on  the  English  underwriters  that  they  have  been  accorded  a  rate  of 
insurance  lower  than  that  of  any  other  steamers  in  the  Transatlan- 
tic trade,  except  two  of  the  Cunard  ships,  and  these  two  pay  the 
same  rate  as  the  American  line.  In  1874  John  Roach  &  Son  built 
at  Chester,  Pa.,  for  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  two  iron 
steamships  of  immense  size  and  superior  equipment,  which  fully 
equal  in  all  respects  the  best  of  British-built  iron  steamers.  These 
were  the  City  of  Peking  and  the  City  of  Tolcio — twin  vessels  in  every 
respect.  Their  registered  tonnage  is  5,000  tons  each.  Each  ship 
will  accommodate  150  cabin  passengers  and  1,800  steerage  passen- 
gers, and  each  vessel's  coal-bunkers  will  carry  1,500  tons.  The 
total  weight  of  iron  used  in  constructing  each  steamship  was 
5,400,000  pounds,  and  the  cost  of  each  was  over  $1,000,000. 

The  cost  of  building  iron  steamships  on  the  Delaware  is  now  as 
low  as  vessels  of  equal  excellence  can  be  built  on  the  Clyde.  In 
addition  to  the  firms  above  named,  the  Harlan  &  Hollingsworth 
Company,  and  Pusey,  Jones  &  Co.,  of  Wilmington,  and  others  on 
the  Delaware,  have  extensive  iron  shipyards,  and  have  built  many 
iron  vessels  for  ocean  service.  Up  to  1876,  owing  to  the  popu- 
larity of  iron  steamships,  only  one  iron  sailing  ship  had  been 
built  in  the  United  States.  The  statement  that  iron  vessels  can 
be  built  as  cheaply  in  this  country  as  abroad  has  attracted  wide 
attention,  and  an  increase  in  the  orders  for  their  construction 
may  be  speedily  expected  to  follow. 


Exports  of  Pennsylvania  Iron  Before  the  Revolution. — The  ex- 
portation of  pig  iron  from  the  colonies  to  Great  Britain  began  in 
the  years  1728-9,  according  to  the  most  reliable  records.  In  these 
years  the  colonies  exported  to  England  1,156  tons,  of  which  Penn- 
sylvania contributed  274  tons.  From  1728-9  to  1755  the  exports 
to  England  from  the  iron-producing  colonies  aggregated  57,404 


BRITISH    OPPOSITION   TO   AMERICAN   IRON   MANUFACTURES.     95 


tons,  including  shipments  to  Scotland.  Of  this  total,  Pennsylvania 
shipped  4,604  tons.  The  exportation  of  bar  iron  from  America 
began  in  1717,  when  2  tons  of  bars  were  sent  to  England  from 
the  British  West  India  Islands  of  Nevis  and  St.  Christopher,  but 
which  had  evidently  been  taken  there  from  the  colonies.  In  1718, 
3  tons  and  7  cwt.  of  bars  were  shipped  from  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land to  England.  In  1735  Pennsylvania  exported  10  tons,  17 
cwt.,  and  3  qrs.  of  bar  iron.  From  1735  to  1755  the  total  ex- 
ports of  bar  iron  from  the  colonies  to  England  and  Scotland  were 
1,430  tons,  of  which  Pennsylvania's  share  was  416  tons.  From 
1761  to  1776  the  colonies  exported  54,453  tons  of  pig  iron  and 
18,723  tons  of  bar  iron  to  England,  of  which  the  quantity  exported 
by  Pennsylvania  can  not  now  be  ascertained.  The  amount  of  iron 
exported  from  Philadelphia  in  the  year  ending  April  5,  1766,  was 
882  tons  of  bar  iron  at  £26  per  ton,  and  813  tons  of  pig  iron  at  £7 
10s.  per  ton.  In  the  three  years  preceding  the  war,  ending  January 
5, 1774,  the  total  exports  from  Pennsylvania  were  respectively  2,358, 
2,205,  and  1,5<64  tons.  The  proportions  of  pig  and  bar  iron  are  not 
stated. 

The  above  figures  represent  only  colonial  shipments  of  iron  to 
the  mother  country,  and  no  other  export  figures  are  obtainable- 
But  it  is  known  that  the  colonies  also  exported  iron  to  the  British 
West  Indies,  in  exchange  for  their  products,  some  of  which  iron 
found  its  way  to  the  mother  country,  as  we  have  seen  above.  Some 
of  the  colonies  also  exported  iron  to  sister  colonies.  All  of  the 
colonies  were  prohibited,  by  acts  of  Parliament,  from  exporting 
their  products  to  any  foreign  country  except  Great  Britain.  In 
1756  Acrelius,  the  Swedish  historian,  wrote  as  follows : 

Pennsylvania,  in  regard  to  its  ironworks,  is  the  most  advanced  of  all  the 
American  colonies.  When  New  Jersey  is  added  to  it,  one  can  safely  say  that 
from  the  Delaware  the  greatest  part  of  the  iron  in  America  is  taken.  Here- 
with, however,  the  provinces  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  New  York  deserve 
to  be  mentioned.  .  .  .  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  and  Maryland  supply 
more  iron  than  their  inhabitants  need.  From  Maryland  some  pig  iron  is 
carried  to  Philadelphia  in  exchange  for  West  India  goods,  as  Maryland  has 
but  little  commerce  with  the  Islands,  and  no  other  offset  against  Philadelphia. 
The  export  is  made  to  London,  the  West  India  Islands,  and  other  English 
colonies  on  the  continent  of  America. 


British  Measures  to  Prevent  the  Manufacture  of  Iron  and  Steel  in 
the  United  States. — In  1749  an  act  of  the  British  Parliament  was 


96  IRONWORKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


passed  which  encouraged  the  importation  of  American  pig  and  bar 
iron  into  Great  Britain  by  repealing  the  duties  thereon,  the  object 
being  to  aid  in  the  development  of  the  finished  iron  trade  of  the 
mother  country  by  supplying  it  with  cheap  raw  iron,  and  to  stimu- 
late the  exportation  of  woolen  and  other  British  manufactures  to 
the  colonies  in  exchange  for  their  iron.  The  act  did  not  contem- 
plate the  encouragement  of  finished  iron  manufactures  in  the  colo- 
nies, but  just  the  reverse,  for  it  provided  as  follows  : 

"That  from  and  after  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  June,  1750,  no  mill  or 
other  engine  for  slitting  or  rolling  of  iron,  or  any  plating  forge  to  work  with 
a  tilt-hammer,  or  any  furnace  for  making  steel,  shall  be  erected,  or,  after  such 
erection,  continued  in  any  of  His  Majesty's  colonies  in  America ;  and  if  any 
person  or  persons  shall  erect,  or  cause  to  be  erected,  or,  after  such  erection, 
continue,  or  cause  to  be  continued,  in  any  of  the  said  colonies,  any  such  mill, 
engine,  forge,  or  furnace,  every  person  or  persons  so  offending  shall,  for  every 
such  mill,  engine,  forge,  or  furnace,  forfeit  the  sum  of  two  hundred  pounds 
of  lawful  money  of  Great  Britain."  And  further :  "  That  every  such  mill, 
engine,  forge,  or  furnace  so  erected  or  continued,  contrary  to  the  directions 
of  this  act,  shall  be  deemed  a  common  nuisance,"  to  be  abated  by  "  every 
governor,  lieutenant-governor,  or  commander-in-chief  of  any  of  His  Majesty's 
colonies  in  America,  where  any  such  mill,  engine,  forge,  or  furnace  shall  be 
erected  or  continued." 

This  oppressive  and  tyrannical  act  was  enforced.  In  Pennsyl- 
vania the'  Lieutenant-Governor,  James  Hamilton,  Esq.,  issued  a 
proclamation,  dated  August  16,  1750,  commanding  the  owners  of 
every  rolling  and  slitting  mill,  plating  forge,  and  steel  furnace  in 
the  province  to  appear  before  him,  on  or  before  the  following  21st 
day  of  September,  with  "  sufficient  proofs  whether  the  said  mills, 
engines,  forges,  and  furnaces  respectively  were  used  on  the  said 
24th  day  of  June,  or  not ; "  also  commanding  the  sheriffs  of  all  the 
counties  in  the  province  to  furnish  lists,  on  or  before  the  21st  of 
September,  of  all  such  establishments  within  their  respective  juris- 
dictions, and  to  certify  "  whether  they  or  any  of  them  were  used  on 
the  said  24th  day  of  June,  or  not,  as  they  and  each  of  them  will 
answer  the  contrary  at  their  peril."  Responses  to  this  proclamation 
were  made  and  are  preserved.  We  have  been  shown  in  the  library 
of  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania  an  original  copy  of  the 
proclamation,  which  was  printed  by  Benjamin  Franklin.  In  1756, 
six  years  after  this  proclamation  was  issued,  Acrelius  stated  that 
the  Vincent  steel  works  were  not  then  in  operation,  and  he  after- 
wards added  :  "  No  one  is  allowed  to  make  nails.  The  trip-hammers 


BRITISH    OPPOSITION   TO   AMERICAN    IRON   MANUFACTURES.      97 

which  were  erected  some  years  since  were  condemned  on  account  of 
their  interference  with  the  importation  from  England." 

The  enactment  of  this  law,  which  will  forever  remain  a  stain 
upon  the  good  name  of  the  British  people,  was  only  one  of  a  series 
of  oppressive  measures  which  eventually  led  to  independence.  They 
all  interfered  with  the  development  of  the  manufactures  of  this 
country,  the  act  from  which  we  have  quoted  exercising  a  depressing 
effect  upon  the  iron  industry  of  Pennsylvania  and  other  colonies 
down  to  the  Revolution. 

When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  over,  and  the  political  in- 
dependence of  the  United  States  was  secured,  Great  Britain  still 
sought,  by  means  of  restrictive  measures,  already  enacted  or  spe- 
cially devised,  to  prevent  the  industrial  development  of  this  country, 
so  that  its  people  might  continue  to  be  dependent  upon  the  mother 
country  for  many  crude  and  manufactured  articles  which,  with 
proper  encouragement  from  their  own  government,  they  could  them- 
selves produce.  These  restrictive  measures,  it  is  true,  applied  to  other 
countries  as  well  as  to  the  United  States,  but  upon  no  other  country 
did  they  operate  with  such  oppressive  influence  as  upon  this  country. 
Skilled  mechanics  were  prohibited  from  emigrating  from  Great 
Britain  to  other  countries,  and  the  exportation  of  tools  or  utensils 
used  in  the  silk,  linen,  cotton,  or  woolen  manufacture  was  also 
prohibited — the  penalties  in  both  cases  being  severe.  In  1785  the 
emigration  from  Great  Britain  of  iron  and  steel  artificers  and 
workmen  and  the  exportation  of  tools  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  iron  and  steel  were  specifically  prohibited,  and  in  1795  the 
prohibition  of  the  exportation  of  tools  and  machinery  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  iron  and  steel  was  reaffirmed  with  emphasis.  In 
the  same  act  the  prohibition  of  the  exportation  of  tools  and  ma- 
chinery was  extended  to  other  manufactures.  The  first  of  these 
restrictions  was  not  wholly  repealed  until  1825,  and  the  exporta- 
tion of  machinery  for  manufacturing  was  not  relieved  of  all 
restrictions  until  1842.  The  alien  efforts  that  have  been  made  to 
control  the  legislation  of  this  country  in  the  interest  of  British 
manufacturers  are  well  known  and  need  not  be  recited.  They 
have  been  more  or  less  successful  until  this  day,  and  but  for  the 
courage  and  patriotism  of  Pennsylvania  ironmasters,  who  have 
steadily  opposed  them,  they  would  have  been  completely  so,  and 
the  manufacturing  and  all  the  other  industries  of  the  country 
would  have  failed  of  the  magnificent  achievements  that  astonished 
the  world  at  the  close  of  the  first  century  of  our  national  existence. 


98  IRONMAKING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Statistics  of  the  Production  of  Iron  and  Steel  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1805. — In  1806  Joseph  Scott  published  A  Geographical  Description 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  which  an  attempt  was  made  to  collect  the 
statistics  of  the  iron  industry  of  the  State  in  the  preceding  year. 
Palpable  errors  and  omissions  appear  in  this  part  of  Mr.  Scott's 
book,  but  his  statements  are  nevertheless  worthy  of  preservation 
because  of  their  antiquity.  We  condense  them  as  follows,  correct- 
ing transparent  errors. 

There  were  in  the  State,  in  1805,  31  furnaces,  72  forges,  12  tilt-hammers, 
2  steel  furnaces,  11  slitting-mills,  besides  the  slitting  and  rolling  machinery, 
then  abandoned,  connected  with  the  water-works  of  Philadelphia.  The  fur- 
naces manufacture  annually  upwards  of  21,000  tons  of  pig  and  castings,  con- 
sisting of  stoves,  kettles,  pots,  pans,  ladles,  etc.  The  forges  manufacture 
12,960  tons  of  bar  iron,  and  the  slitting-mills  upwards  of  2,750  tons  annually. 
About  150  tons  of  steel  are  yearly  manufactured.  The  distribution  of  the 
ironworks  of  the  State  by  counties  was  in  part  as  follows '  Philadelphia 
county  (1805) — 1  small  forge,  2  furnaces,  1  tilt-hammer,  1  steel  works.  Chester 
county  (1800) — 4  slitting-mills,  2  furnaces,  8  forges,  12  tilt-hammers.  Lancas- 
ter county  (1805) — 3  furnaces  and  8  forges  in  the  north  end  of  the  county. 
The  furnaces  usually  manufacture  about  1,200  tons  annually  of  pigs,  and  the 
forges  an  equal  number  of  tons  of  bar  iron.  Two  of  the  forges  were  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Church  town.  York  county  (1805) — 2  forges.  Cumberland 
county  (1805) — 2  slitting-mills  and  3  furnaces.  Berks  county  (1805) — 1  slit- 
ting-mill,  8  furnaces,  20  forges,  and  9  tilt-hammers.  Fayette  county  (1805) — 
In  the  mountains  are  found  large  quantities  of  iron  ore,  for  the  manufacturing 
of  which  several  furnaces  and  forges  have  been  erected.  They  manufacture 
pig,  bar  iron,  hollow  ware,  etc.  Four  forges  and  3  furnaces  are  near  Con- 
nellsville,  and  2  forges  and  2  furnaces  are  on  George's  creek.  Franklin  county 
(1805) — furnaces  and  forges  have  been  erected,  which  manufacture  pig,  bar 
iron,  hollow  ware,  etc.  Montgomery  county  (1805) — 4  forges.  Dauphin  county 
(1805) — 2  furnaces  and  2  forges  have  been  erected.  Luzerne  county  (1805) — 
2  forges  have  been  erected,  using  bog  iron  ore.  Allegheny  county  (1805) — 
a  furnace  has  been  erected  within  a  few  miles  of  Pittsburgh.  Delaware  county 
(1805) — 7  forges  and  1  slitting-mill.  Greene  county  (1805) — a  furnace  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Waynesborough.  Centre  county  (1805) — in  the  mountains 
are  found  abundance  of  iron  ore,  which  is  manufactured  into  pig,  bar  iron, 
and  hollow  ware.  Mercer  county  (1805) — a  forge  and  furnace  are  now  nearly 
erected  at  New  Castle. 


Statistics  of  the  Production  of  Iron  and  Steel  in  1810. — In  1814 
there  was  published  A  Statement  of  the  Arts  and  Manufactures  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  as  they  existed  in  1810,  prepared  by 
Tench  Coxe,  under  the  authority  of  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury.  From  this  document  we  glean  the  following  infor- 


STATISTICS   OF   THE   PRODUCTION   OF   IRON   AND   STEEL. 


99 


mation  concerning  the  condition  of  the  iron  industry  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  of  the  country  at  large  in  1810.  In  the  totals  for  the 
United  States  we  believe  the  values  to  be  correct,  as  they  include 
returns  from  every  State,  but  some  of  the  quantities  given  are  not 
strictly  accurate,  because  some  of  the  States  did  not  report  quanti- 
ties, although  at  the  same  time  they  reported  values.  We  believe, 
however,  that  the  quantities  are  approximately  correct. 


Number  of  Blast  Furnaces  in  U.  S., ~» 
Number  of  Air  Furnaces  in  U.  S.,  / 
Tons  of  Cast  Iron  made  in  U.  S., 


153 


in  Pennsylvania,  44 

in  Pennsylvania,  6 

53,908;  in  Pennsylvania,          26,878 


Value  of  Cast  Iron  made  in  U.  S.,  $2,981,277  ;  in  Pennsylvania,  $1,301,343 


$16,000 

78 

10,969 


in  Pennsylvania, 
in  Pennsylvania, 
in  Pennsylvania, 
330;  in  Pennsylvania, 
24,541 ;  in  Pennsylvania, 

in  Pennsylvania,  $1,156,405 
in  Pennsylvania,  50 

600;  in  Pennsylvania 

$327,898;  in  Pennsylvania, 
34 ;  in  Pennsylvania, 
in  Pennsylvania, 


9,280 ;  : 


in  Pennsylvania, 


Number  of  Bloomaries  in  U.  S  ......  135 

Tons  of  Iron  made  in  U.  S  ..........  2,564 

Value  of  Iron  made  in  U.  S  ........     $226,034 

Number  of  Forges  in  U.  S  ............ 

Tons  Bar  Iron,  etc.,  made  in  U.  S., 

Value  of  Bar  Iron,  etc.,  made  in  U.  S.  $2,874,063 

Number  of  Trip  Hammers  in  U.  S.,  316 

Product  of  Trip  Hammers  in  tons, 

Value  of  Product  of  Trip  Hammers, 

Rolling  and  Slitting  Mills  in  U.  S., 

Tons  of  Rolled  Iron  made  in  U.  S., 

Product  in  Tons  of  Slit  Iron  in  U.  S., 

Value  of  Rolled  and  Slit  Iron  in  U.  S.,  $1,215,946  ;  in  Pennsylvania, 

Number  of  Naileries  in  U.  S  .........  410;  in  Pennsylvania, 

Pounds  of  Nails  made  in  U.  S  ......  15,727,914;  in  Pennsylvania, 

Value  of  Nails  made  in  U.  S  .......  $2,478,139;  in  Pennsylvania, 

The  product  of  Steel  Furnaces  in  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  South  Carolina  was  917  tons,  valued  at 
$144,736.  Of  the  whole  number  of  Steel  Furnaces,  Pennsylvania  contained 
5,  of  which  Philadelphia  City,  and  Philadelphia,  Lancaster,  Dauphin,  and 
Fayette  counties  each  contained  one.  The  product  of  Pennsylvania  was 
531  tons,  valued  at  $81,147. 

The  following-named  counties  in  Pennsylvania  produced  the  iron 
accredited  in  this  table  to  this  State  :  Philadelphia,  Montgomery, 
Bucks,  Northampton,  Delaware,  Chester,  Lancaster,  Dauphin,  Berks, 
Luzerne,  Northumberland,  Lycoming,  Erie,  Armstrong,  Centre,  Mif- 
flin,  Cumberland,  York,  Adams,  Franklin,  Bedford,  Huntingdon, 
Cambria,  Fayette,  Westmoreland,  Washington,  Beaver,  Butler,  Alle- 
gheny, Mercer,  and  Crawford  :  thirty-one  counties  in  all. 


$73,496 
18 

4,502 
98 

$606,426 
175 

7,270,825 
$760,862 


Statistics   of  the  Production  of  Iron    and  Steel   after  1810,  and 
down  to  1870. — In  1820  the  value  of  all  the  manufactures  of  pig 


100 


IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


iron  and  castings  in  the  United  States  was  $2,230,275,  of  which  Penn- 
sylvania produced  $563,810  worth.  In  the  same  year  the  country 
produced  "manufactures  of  wrought  iron"  to  the  amount  of  .$4,640,- 
669,  of  which  Pennsylvania's  share  was  $1,156,266. 

In  1830  the  value  of  the  pig  iron  and  castings  manufactured  in 
the  United  States  was  $4,757,403,  of  which  the  share  of  Pennsylva- 
nia was  $1,643,702.  In  the  same  year  the  country's  production  of 
"manufactures  of  wrought  iron"  amounted  in  value  to  $16,737,251, 
of  which  Pennsylvania  produced  $3,762,847  worth.  Gordon  in  1832 
claimed  about  60  furnaces  and  a  production  of  50,000  tons  of  cast 
iron  and  40,000  tons  of  bar  iron  in  Pennsylvania. 

In  1840  there  were  in  the  United  States  804  furnaces,  which  pro- 
duced in  that  year  286,903  tons  of  "cast  iron."  Pennsylvania  had 
213  furnaces,  and  produced  98,395  tons  of  "  cast  iron."  In  the 
same  year  there  were  795  bloomaries,  forges,  and  rolling-mills  in 
the  country,  of  which  Pennsylvania  had  169.  The  number  of  tons 
of  bar  iron  produced  in  that  year  was  197,233,  of  which  Pennsyl- 
vania's share  was  87,244. 

In  1842  there  were  213  blast  furnaces  in  the  State,  169  forges 
and  rolling-mills,  and  151,885  tons  of  pig  iron  were  produced. 
The  production  of  pig  iron  in  the  State  in  1843  was  190,000  tons, 
and  in  1844  it  was  246,000  tons.  In  1846  there  were  317  blast 
furnaces  in  the  State,  producing  368,056  tons  of  pig  iron,  and  in 
1847  there  were  the  same  number,  producing  389,350  tons  of  pig 
iron.  In  1849  the  pig  iron  product  of  the  State  fell  to  253,000 
tons.  The  following  statistics  for  that  year  are  compiled  from  the 
valuable  report  of  Charles  E.  Smith,  Esq.,  published  in  1850. 


BLAST  FURNACES  IN 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

No. 

Investment. 

Present 
capacity. 
Tons. 

Make  1847. 
Tons. 

Make  1849. 
Tons. 

Anthracite  coal                             .  . 

57 
7 
4 
85 
145 
6 

$3,221,000 
223,000 
800,000 
3,478,500 
5,170,376 
28,700 

$12,921,576 

221,400 
12,600 
12,000 
130,705 
173,654 
600 

151,331 
7,800 
10,000 
94,519 
125,155 
545 

109,168 
4,900 

58,302 
80,665 
335 

Coke                      

Charcoal  hot  blast                          . 

"        cold  blast  

Totals 

304 

550,959 

389,350 

253,370 

FORGES  AND 
ROLLING-MILLS  IN 
PENNSYLVANIA. 

No. 
works. 

Investment. 

No. 

forge 
fires. 

No. 
pud- 
dling 
fur. 

Capacity. 
Tons. 

Actual 
make  1847. 
Tons. 

Actual 
make  1849. 
Tons. 

Charcoal  forges  
Rolling-mills  

Totals/  

121 
79 

$2,026,300 
5,554,200 

402 

436 

50,250 
174,400 

39,967 
163,760 

28,495 
108,358 

200 

$7,580,500 

402 

436 

224,650 

203,727 

136,853 

STATISTICS    OF   THE   PRODUCTION   OF   IRON   AND   STEEL.        101 


The  six  bloomaries  mentioned  in  the  tal?le;  wefts  'ali  in 
Monroe,  and  Northampton  counties,  and  all  Used 'the  rich  magnetic 
ores  of  New  Jersey.  They  had  12  fires,r,7  hammei^ajld:,]ft$46. ,6$^,, 
tons  of  bars  in  1849.  They  have  all  been  abandoned. 

In  1850  there  were  produced  in  the  United  States  563,755  tons 
of  pig  iron  by  377  "  establishments,"  of  which  Pennsylvania  pro- 
duced 285,702  tons  of  pig  iron  in  180  "  establishments."  In  the 
same  year  the  country  produced  "  wr ought-iron  manufactures"  to 
the  amount  of  $22,629,271  in  552  "establishments,"  of  which  Penn- 
sylvania produced  $9,224,256  worth  in  162  "establishments."  These 
meagre  statistics  of  production  of  iron  in  1850  are  from  the  census 
for  that  year,  and  the  word  "establishment"  must  not  be  con- 
founded with  single  furnaces,  forges,  or  rolling-mills.  One  estab- 
lishment might  embrace  several  separate  ironworks. 

In  1860  the  United  States,  in  97  establishments,  produced  51,290 
tons  of  blooms,  worth  $2,623,178 ;  Pennsylvania,  in  57  establish- 
ments, produced  24,700  tons  of  blooms,  worth  $1,467,450.  In  the 
same  year  the  United  States,  in  286  establishments,  produced  987,- 
559  tons  of  pig  iron,  worth  $20,870,120;  Pennsylvania,  in  125  estab- 
lishments, produced  580,049  tons  of  pig  iron,  worth  $11,262,974. 
In  256  establishments  the  United  States  produced  513,213  tons  of 
rolled  iron  worth  $31,888,705 ;  Pennsylvania,  in  87  establishments, 
produced  266,253  tons  of  rolled  iron  worth  $15,122,842.  In  13 
establishments  the  United  States  produced  11,838  tons  of  steel,  worth 
$1,778,240;  Pennsylvania,  in  9  establishments,  produced  9,890  tons 
of  steel,  worth  $1,338,200. 

In  1870  the  United  States,  in  82  establishments,  produced  110,808 
tons  of  blooms,  worth  $7,647,054;  Pennsylvania,  in  43  establish- 
ments, produced  68,238  tons  of  blooms,  worth  $4,881,431.  In  386 
establishments  the  United  States  produced  2,052,821  tons  of  pig 
iron,  worth  $69,640,498 ;  Pennsylvania,  in  136  establishments,  pro- 
duced 1,033,272  tons  of  pig  iron,  worth  $32,636,410.  In  310  estab- 
lishments the  United  States  produced  1,468,312  tons  of  rolled 
iron,  worth  $120,311,158 ;  Pennsylvania,  in  120  establishments, 
produced  713,331  tons  of  rolled  iron,  worth  $56,811,975.  In  2 
establishments  the  United  States  produced  19,403  tons  of  Bessemer 
steel,  worth  $1,818,220;  Pennsylvania,  in  1  establishment,  produced 
13,500  tons  of  Bessemer  steel,  worth  $1,405,000.  In  28  establish- 
ments, not  including  Bessemer  steel  works,  the  United  States  pro- 
duced 30,354  tons  of  steel,  worth  $7,791,766;  Pennsylvania,  in  17 
establishments,  produced  21,806  tons  of  steel,  worth  $5,560,238. 


102  IRONMAKING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


gt&tistics  of  the  Pfoilwtion  of  Iron  and  Steel  in  1876. — In  1876  the 
United  States,  in  '39  bloomaries,  produced  20,784  net  tons  of  blooms 
aiicL-hUjecs  from;  the  Q-PB,  and  in  59  forges  produced  23,844  net  tons 
of  blooms  from  pig  and  scrap  iron :  total,  98  forges  and  bloom- 
aries, producing  44,628  net  tons  of  blooms  and  billets  of  all  kinds. 
Pennsylvania,  in  39  forges,  produced  13,401  net  tons  of  blooms 
from  pig  and  scrap  iron,  and  none  from  the  ore.  In  714  blast  fur- 
naces the  United  States  produced  990,009  net  tons  of  bituminous 
coal  and  coke  pig  iron,  794,578  net  tons  of  anthracite  pig  iron,  and 
308,649  net  tons  of  charcoal  pig  iron :  total  production,  2,093,236 
net  tons  of  pig  iron.  It  is  proper  to  state,  however,  that  in  1876, 
in  consequence  of  the  panic  of  1873,  only  a  part  of  the  ironworks 
of  the  United  States  were  in  operation.  Pennsylvania,  in  279  blast 
furnaces,  produced  1,009,613  net  tons  of  pig  iron.  Of  this  total, 
588,829  net  tons  were  anthracite  pig  iron,  of  which  the  Lehigh 
valley  produced  261,274  net  tons ;  the  Schuylkill  valley,  144,969 
net  tons;  the  Upper  Susquehanna  district,  79,217  net  tons;  and 
the  Lower  Susquehanna  district,  103,369  net  tons:  397,685  net 
tons  were  bituminous  coal  and  coke  pig  iron,  of  which  the  Shenango 
valley  produced  138,495  net  tons ;  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny  coun- 
ty, 128,555  net  tons ;  and  districts  outside  of  Allegheny  county  and 
the  Shenango  valley,  130,635  net  tons :  23,099  net  tons  were  char- 
coal pig  iron,  made  in  various  localities. 

In  the  United  States  in  1876  there  were  338  rolling-mills,  con- 
taining 4,488  single  puddling  furnaces,  counting  each  double  fur- 
nace as  two  single  ones.  Of  these,  98  were  built  to  make  rails — 60 
heavy  and  38  light  rails,  and  64  included  cut-nail  factories.  The 
total  production  of  rolled  iron  was  1,921,730  net  tons,  classified  as 
follows  :  bar,  angle,  bolt,  rod,  and  hoop  iron,  668,956  net  tons ;  plate 
and  sheet  iron,  165,255  net  tons ;  cut  nails  and  spikes,  207,890  net 
tons,  or  4,157,814  kegs  of  100  pounds  each ;  and  rails,  879,629  net 
tons,  of  which  412,461  net  tons  were  Bessemer  steel  rails,  and  467,- 
168  net  tons  were  iron  and  all  other  kinds.  In  Pennsylvania  in 
1876  there  were  137  rolling-mills,  containing  2,153  single  puddling 
furnaces,  counting  each  double  furnace  as  two  single  ones.  Of 
these,  35  were  built  to  make  rails — 20  heavy  and  15  light  rails, 
and  25  included  cut-nail  factories.  The  total  production  of  rolled 
iron  in  the  State  was  824,260  net  tons,  classified  as  follows:  bar, 
angle,  bolt,  rod,  and  hoop  iron,  301,350  net  tons ;  plate  and  sheet 
iron,  100,576  net  tons ;  cut  nails  and  spikes,  68,409  net  tons,  or 
1,368,163  kegs  of  100  pounds  each ;  and  rails,  353,925  net  tons,  of 


STATISTICS   OF   THE   PRODUCTION    OF    IRON   AND    STEEL.      103 


which  203,750  net  tons  were  Bessemer  steel  rails,  and  150,175  net 
tons  were  iron  and  all  other  kinds.  Few  mills  ran  full  time. 

In  the  United  States  there  were  11  Bessemer  steel  establishments, 
which  produced  525,996  net  tons  of  ingots  and  rolled  412,461  net 
tons  of  rails,  consuming  539,474  net  tons  of  pig  iron,  of  which 
45,980  net  tons  were  spiegeleisen.  In  Pennsylvania  there  were  5 
Bessemer  steel  establishments,  which  produced  258,452  net  tons  of 
ingots  and  rolled  203,750  net  tons  of  rails,  consuming  260,487  net 
tons  of  pig  iron,  of  which  25,180  net  tons  were  spiegeleisen. 

In  60  establishments,  only  47  of  which  were  active,  however,  the 
United  States  produced  71,178  net  tons  of  puddled,  open-hearth, 
blister,  and  crucible  steel,  of  which  39,382  net  tons  were  crucible 
steel,  21,490  net  tons  were  open-hearth  steel,  and  10,306  net  tons 
were  puddled  and  blister  steel.  Including  525,996  net  tons  of 
Bessemer  steel  ingots,  the  total  production  of  steel  of  all  kinds  in 
the  United  States  in  1876  was  597,174  net  tons.  In  24  establish- 
ments Pennsylvania  produced  43,365  net  tons  of  puddled,  open- 
hearth,  blister,  and  crucible  steel,  of  which  28,217  net  tons  were 
crucible  steel,  7,547  net  tons  were  open-hearth  steel,  and  7,601  net 
tons  were  puddled  and  blister  steel.  Including  258,452  net  tons  of 
Bessemer  steel  ingots,  the  total  production  of  steel  of  all  kinds  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1876  was  301,817  net  tons. 

The  average  price  per  gross  ton  in  Philadelphia  in  1876  of  No.  1 
anthracite  foundry  pig  iron  was  $22.25.  The  average  price  per 
gross  ton  in  Philadelphia  of  American  iron  rails  was  $41.25. 
The  average  price  per  gross  ton  of  American  Bessemer  steel  rails 
at  the  works  in  Pennsylvania  was  $52.  The  average  price  per 
gross  ton  of  American  best  refined  rolled  bar  iron  in  Philadelphia 
was  $49.28. 

The  following-named  counties  in  Pennsylvania  contained  iron  or 
steel-making  establishments  in  1876,  which  were  either  in  operation 
in  that  year  or  were  ready  to  be  put  into  operation : — Adams,  Alle- 
gheny, Armstrong,  Beaver,  Bedford,  Berks,  Blair,  Bradford,  Bucks, 
Cambria,  Carbon,  Centre,  Chester,  Clarion,  Clinton,  Columbia,  Cum- 
berland, Dauphin,  Delaware,  Erie,  Fayette,  Franklin,  Huntingdon, 
Lancaster,  Lawrence,  Lebanon,  Lehigh,  Luzerne,  Lycoming,  Mercer, 
Mifflin,  Montgomery,  Montour,  Northampton,  Northumberland, 
Perry,  Philadelphia,  Schuylkill,  Tioga,  Union,  Westmoreland,  and 
York :  total,  42  counties.  The  counties  containing  no  iron  or  steel 
making  establishments  in  1876  were  as  follows  : — Butler,  Cameron, 
Clearfield,  Crawford,  Elk,  Forest,  Fulton,  Greene,  Indiana,  Jefferson, 


104 


IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Juniata,  McKean,  Monroe,  Pike,  Potter,  Snyder,  Somerset,  Sul- 
livan, Susquehanna,  Venango,  Warren,  Washington,  Wayne,  and 
Wyoming :  total,  24  counties. 

Table  of  States  and  Territories  containing  Iron  and  Steel  Works  in 
1876,  with  their  Production,  showing  the  Position  of  Pennsylvania. — 
In  the  following  table  is  presented  a  statement  showing  the  number 
of  iron  and  steel  works  in  1876  in  each  of  the  United  States  and 
Territories  which  made  iron  or  steel  in  that  year,  together  with  the 
quantity  of  iron  and  steel  produced  by  each  State  or  Territory. 
The  position  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  list  is  so  prominent  that  fur- 
ther attention  need  not  be  called  to  it. 


STATES. 

Number  of  Iron  and  Steel 
Works  in  1876. 

Production  of  Iron  and  Steel  in  1876, 
in  net  tons. 

Forges 
and 
Bloom- 
aries. 

Blast 
Furnaces 

Rolling- 
Hills. 

Steel 
Works, 
including 
Bessemer 

Blooms. 

Pig  Iron. 

Rolled  Iron 
of  all  kinds. 

Steel,  inclu- 
ding Besse- 
mer Ingots. 

Maine                  

0 
0 
2 
1 
0 
0 
27 
5 
39 
0 
1 
7 
9 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
3 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
3 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

1 

0 
2 
6 
0 
10 
57 
18 
279 
0 
24 
33 
8 
11 
13 
1 
12 
23 
24 
100 
9 
12 
34 
14 
1 
19 

! 
! 

0 

2 
1 
1 
22 
2 
7 
23 
17 
137 
8 
5 
5 

o' 

2 
1 
0 
8 
10 
5 
48 
10 
10 
3 
1 
0 
6 
2 
0 
1 
0 
1 

0 
1 
0 
4 
1 
4 
4 
8 
29 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
2 
1 
8 
0 
5 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

0 
0 
0 
151 
0 
0 
20,202 
2,828 
13,401 
0 
4,256 
1,800 
493 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
100 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
1,397 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

3.002 
0 
550 
5,040 
0 
10,160 
181,620 
25,349 
1,009,613 
0 
19,876 
13,046 
400 
10,518 
24,732 
426 
41,165 
34,686 
24,585 
403,277 
14,547 
54,168 
95,177 
51,261 
0 
68,223 
0 
1,750 
0 
65 
0 

10,814 
1,900 
9,183 
78,576 
7,394 
10,114 
130,707 
52,411 
824,260 
17,598 
31,181 
17,306 
0 
12,001 
1,000 
0 
49,636 
30,874 
23,274 
249,328 
55,262 
191,421 
5,325 
29,980 
0 
39,693 
14,707 
0 
15,465 
0 
12,320 

0 
1,000 
0 
5,085 
0 
1,098 
35,859 
7,458 
301,817 
0 
470 
Q 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
5 
59,936 
0 
171,963 
0 
0 
0 
12,483 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

New  Hampshire  
Vermont    

Massachusetts  
Rhode  Island  

Connecticut  
New  York  

Pennsylvania  
Delaware 

Maryland  

Virginia       

North  Carolina  
Georgia        ..  >  

Texas  

West  Virginia  
Kentucky  

Ohio  

Illinois  

Wisconsin  

Minnesota  
Missouri  

Kansas     

California  

Utah  Territory  
Wyoming  Territory 

Total  

98 

714 

338 

69 

44,628 

2,093,236 

1,921,730 

597,174 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  the  338  rolling-mills  above  enumerated 
include  19  works  which  both  roll  iron  and  make  cast  steel,  one 
establishment  which  makes  open-hearth  steel  and  Bessemer  steel > 
one  which  makes  open-hearth  steel  and  Bessemer  steel  and  rolls 
iron  and  8  which  both  roll  iron  and  make  Bessemer  steel.  All 


CONCLUSION. 


105 


these  establishments  which  make  steel  and  the  Bessemer  one  which 
makes  nothing  but  steel  are  included  in  the  column  of  steel  works. 
The  total  production  of  rolled  iron,  1,921,730  net  tons,  includes 
412,461  net  tons  of  Bessemer  steel  rails.  The  ingots  of  which  these 
rails  were  made  are  also  included  in  the  column  giving  the  total 
product  of  all  kinds  of  steel.  We  have  made  the  best  possible  anal- 
ysis of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  iron  enterprises  of  the  country. 


Comparative  Statement  by  Counties  of  Pennsylvania  Ironworks  in 
1850  and  1876. — The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  iron 
and  steel  works  existing  in  Pennsylvania  in  1850  and  1876,  with 
the  names  of  the  counties  in  which  they  were  situated : 


COUNTIES. 

Blast 
Furnaces 

Forges 
and 
Bloom- 
aries. 

Rolling- 
Mills 
and  Steel 
Works. 

COUNTIES. 

Blast 
Furnaces 

Forges 
and 
Bloom- 
aries. 

Ilolling- 
Mills 
and  Steel 
Works. 

1850 

1 

0 
16 
0 
3 
13 
12 
0 
2 
6 
6 
4 
10 
5 
29 

5 
16 
7 
6 
0 
1 
5 
8 
15 

1876 

1850 

1876 

1850 

1876 

1850 

4 
16 
2 
6 
9 
5 
3 
16 
5 
0 
6 
0 
4 
3 
5 
0 
5 
3 
1 
3 
20 
6 
5 

298 

1876 

0 
15 
10 
10 
28 
5 
1 
23 
3 
0 
15 
7 
18 
2 
3 
1 
9 
0 
1 
2 
0 
1 
2 

1850 

1 
12 
0 
3 
0 
1 
3 
0 
2 
1 
2 
0 
1 
1 

3 
6 
1 
0 
1 
0 
0 
3 

127 

1876 

1850 

1876 

1 
11 

8 
0 
3 
27 
14 
0 
1 
0 
6 
4 
6 

3 
0 

1 
3 
3 
12 
0 
1 
5 
4 
6 

0 
0 
0 
0 
3 
23 
14 
0 
0 
0 
0 
6 
5 
6 
1 
0 

1 

4 
2 
0 
0 
0 
8 
11 

0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
4 
5 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
3 
6 
0 
0 
1 
1 
2 
1 
0 
0 
0 

1 

4 

0 
16 
2 
0 
0 

\ 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
5 
14 
0 
0 
0 
3 
1 
1 
1 
0 
2 
1 
2 

0 
43 
3 

0 
10 
4 
1 

0 
1 

4 

I 

0 
0 
1 
1 

5 
2 
1 
1 
0 
0 

Indiana  

0 
2 
0 
3 
0 
0 
0 
0 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
2 
0 

1 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

1 

0 
2 
2 
0 
0 
2 
2 
0 
0 
0 
4 
0 
1 
0 
1 
8 
1 
0 
1 
0 

1 

0 
0 

79 

0 
6 
3 
2 
3 
1 
2 
6 
2 
0 
9 
4 
3 
3 
1 
14 
6 
0 
0 
0 
0 
1 

156 

Armstrong  
Beaver  

Lawrence    

Lebanon  

Bedford 

Lehigh  

Berks  
Blair 

Lycoming  

Bradford  
Bucks 

Mifflin  

Butler 

Cambria 

Montgomery  

Carbon  

Centre 

j  Northampton  
Northumberland 
j  Perry  

Chester  
Clarion 

Clearfield  

Philadelphia  
Schuylkill  

Clinton 

Columbia  
Cumberland  

Tioga  

I  Union           
Venango 

Delaware  

Erie. 

Westmoreland  ... 
York   .  . 

Fayette  
Franklin 

Huntingdon  

Total  

279 

39 

Conclusion. — Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  progress  of  ironma- 
king  in  Pennsylvania  down  to  the  close  of  the  first  century  of  our 
national  existence  in  the  year  1876.  If  we  have  seemed  to  give 
undue  prominence  to  the  iron  enterprises  of  some  sections  of  the 
State,  and  to  give  to  others  less  prominence  than  they  deserve,  the 
explanation  is  that  in  the  one  case  we  have  had  ample  informa- 
tion and  in  the  other  case  all  desirable  information  could  not  be 
obtained.  All  apparently  unnecessary  details  have  been  discarded, 
and  due  diligence  has  been  exercised  in  seeking  for  valuable  facts 
that  were  hard  to  find.  The  statistics  we  have  given  are  reliable. 


106  IRONMAKING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  development  of  the  iron  industry  of  Pennsylvania  has  kept 
pace  with  the  progress  made  in  the  settlement  of  the  State.  It 
commenced  in  the  Schuylkill  valley,  forty  miles  from  Philadelphia, 
and  soon  after  extended  to  the  northward  and  southward  of  the 
city,  and  to  the  westward  into  Lancaster  county.  As  the  Indians 
retired  but  slowly,  many  years  elapsed  after  Philadelphia  was 
founded  before  the  interior  of  the  State  was  settled  even  by 
pioneers,  and  it  was  not  until  after  the  Revolution — a  hundred 
years  from  the  time  when  Penn  sailed  up  the  Delaware — that 
iron  was  made  as  far  westward  as  the  Juniata  valley.  But  settle- 
ments in  the  extreme  western  and  southwestern  parts  of  the  State 
were  made  almost  simultaneously  with  those  in  the  Juniata  valley, 
and  we  find  that  iron  was  made  in  Fayette  and  Westmoreland 
counties  about  the  same  time  that  it  was  made  within  its  bound- 
aries. In  the  Susquehanna  and  Allegheny  valleys  iron  was  made 
soon  after  the  tide  of  immigration  rolled  over  their  borders. 
Pittsburgh  early  became  noted  for  its  iron  enterprises,  although 
iron  ore  was  not  found  in  its  immediate  vicinity.  Wherever  the 
adventurous  Pennsylvanians  went  the  iron  business  took  root  if 
there  was  the  least  encouragement  to  establish  it.  Their  furnaces 
and  forges,  and  afterwards  their  rolling-mills,  were  conducted  with 
as  much  skill  and  with  as  satisfactory  results  as  characterized  like 
establishments  in  the  Old  World.  They  showed  themselves  to  be 
enterprising  and  progressively  scientific  iron  makers,  so  that  at 
the  beginning  of  the  second  half  of  the  last  century  the  State 
was  far  in  advance  of  any  other  in  the  extent  and  variety  of  its 
iron  manufactures — a  position  which  has  been  steadily  strength- 
ened until  this  day,  and  which  for  generations  to  come  it  must 
continue  to  hold.  Not  only  this,  but  Pennsylvania  enterprise  and 
capital  have  aided  largely  in  establishing  the  iron  manufacture  in 
other  States  and  Territories.  But  for  the  part  taken  by  Pennsylva- 
nians toward  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the  iron  industry  of 
New  Jersey  would  not  have  had  an  early  and  a  healthy  growth. 
But  for  their  example  and  substantial  assistance,  the  iron  industry 
of  the  West  and  South  would  not  have  prospered  as  it  has.  But 
for  their  courage  in  resisting  the  arrogant  trade  pretensions  of 
Great  Britain,  our  own  government  would  have  withheld  the  en- 
couragement that  was  necessary  to  the  development  of  the  iron 
industry  of  the  whole  country. 

There  are  many  features  of  the  iron  history  of  Pennsylvania 
which  are  not  only  curious  but  startling.  But  for  the  thinning 


CONCLUSION.  107 


of  its  dense  forests  to  supply  charcoal  for  its  forges  and  furnaces, 
the  agriculture  of  the  State  would  have  lagged  behind,  from  lack 
of  tillable  land  as  well  as  from  lack  of  purchasers  of  agricultural 
products.  But  for  the  building  of  forges  and  furnaces  and  rolling- 
mills,  which  followed  closely  upon  the  building  of  pioneer  cabins, 
the  turnpikes  and  canals  and  railroads  of  the  State  would  not  so 
soon  have  become  a  necessity,  for  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the 
making  of  iron  preceded  all  of  them.  The  forgeman  and  the 
furnaceman  of  Pennsylvania  have  never  been  far  in  the  rear  of 
the  pioneer  with  his  rifle.  But  for  the  great  progress  made  in 
the  manufacture  of  iron  with  charcoal  in  Pennsylvania,  the  way 
would  not  have  been  opened  for  the  magnificent  development  of 
the  coal  fields  of  the  State.  The  changes  that  have  taken  place 
in  the  iron  manufacture  of  the  State  within  the  memory  of  men 
who  are  yet  young  astonish  us  by  their  magnitude.  Down  to 
about  1840  all  the  iron  in  the  State  was  made  with  charcoal : 
now  far  less  iron  is  made  with  charcoal  than  with  any  other  fuel. 
Down  to  about  1835,  in  addition  to  making  pig  iron,  many  of  the 
furnaces  in  the  State,  cast  stoves,  pots,  kettles,  andirons,  sadirons, 
railroad  chairs,  and  other  articles  as  a  regular  business :  now  none 
of  them  do.  Down  to  about  1830  very  little  iron  in  the  State 
was  rolled;  nearly  all  was  hammered  at  the  forges:  now  no  bar 
iron  is  made  at  the  forges  and  but  little  of  any  other  shape.  The 
first  iron  made  in  the  State  was  made  in  bloomaries :  in  1810  but 
four  were  reported ;  in  1850  six  were  reported ;  and  long  before 
1876  the  last  one  had  disappeared.  The  introduction  of  the  Besse- 
mer and  Siemens-Martin  processes  into  the  State,  and  into  the 
country,  dates  since  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  and  the  cast-steel 
industry  of  the  State  and  country  scarcely  had  an  existence  when 
the  war  commenced.  As  late  as  1850  the  furnace  that  would  make 
fifty  tons  of  pig  iron  a  week  with  any  kind  of  fuel  was  doing  good 
work :  now  there  are  many  furnaces  in  the  State  that  make  that 
much  iron  in  a  day,  while  a  few  can  make  seventy-five  tons  a  day 
as  a  regular  product,  and  two — the  Isabella  and  Lucy  furnaces  at 
Pittsburgh — have  made  over  a  hundred  tons  a  day  for  a  week  at 
a  time.  The  changes  that  we  have  noted  and  others  that  might 
be  mentioned  have  not  been  the  result  of  accident  nor  the  crea- 
tion of  necessity,  but  have  resulted  from  the  enterprise  and  skill 
of  Pennsylvanians — a  people  who  were  not  born  to  wait,  with  halt- 
ing steps  and  timid  hearts,  with  no  touch  of  inspiration  and  no 
whisper  of  destiny,  for  others  to  lead  where  they  could  follow. 


COAL  MINING  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


First  Mention  of  the  Existence  of  Coal  in  the  United  States.— In 
the  Statistics  of  Coal,  by  Richard  Cowling  Taylor,  (1848),  it  is  stated 
that  the  earliest  historic  mention  of  coal  in  this  country  is  by  the 
French  Jesuit  missionary,  Father  Hennepin,  who  saw  traces  of  bitu- 
minous coal  on  the  Illinois  river  in  1679.  In  his  journal  he  marks 
the  site  of  a  "  cole  mine,"  above  Fort  Crevecoeur,  near  the  present 
town  of  Ottawa.  In  1763,  nearly  a  hundred  years  later,  Colonel 
Croghan,  a  British  officer,  noticed  on  the  south  side  of  the  Wabash 
river  "  a  high  bank  in  which  are  several  fine  coal  mines,"  which  is 
the  earliest  reference,  says  Taylor,  to  coal  in  that  region.  In  the 
map  of  the  Middle  Colonies,  published  by  Lewis  Evans  in  1755, 
we  find  mention  of  coal  in  Ohio,  but  no  mention  of  it  is  made  any- 
where within  the  present  limits  of  Pennsylvania.  In  Nicholas 
Scull's  map  of  Pennsylvania,  published  in  1759,  coal  is  not  marked. 
In  William  Scull's  map  of  Pennsylvania,  published  in  1770,  coal  is 
marked  in  Berks  county  and  at  Pittsburgh.  In  the  map  of  Captain 
Hutchins,  published  at  London  in  1777,  coal  deposits  are  marked 
at  various  places  in  the  basin  of  the  Ohio  river.  A  coal  seam  near 
Pittsburgh  took  fire  in  1765,  and  is  said  to  have  burned  for  sixteen 
years. 

Anthracite  coal  was  discovered  in  Rhode  Island  and  Massachu- 
setts about  1760.  It  has  since  then  been  discovered  in  Virginia, 
Arkansas,  Oregon,  New  Mexico,  and  Pennsylvania  in  the  United 
States,  and  in  the  State  of  Sonora  in  Mexico.  It  is  also  claimed 
that  it  has  been  discovered  in  Kansas  and  in  Nova  Scotia.  But  in 
none  of  the  States  named  has  the  mining  of  anthracite  ever  been 
successfully  prosecuted,  except  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1840  Virginia 
produced  200  tons  of  anthracite,  and  down  to  1873  the  total  amount 
mined  is  estimated  not  to  have  exceeded  10,000  tons.  In  1860  an- 
thracite coal  in  the  United  States  was  produced  only  in  Pennsyl- 

(109) 


110  COAL   MINING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


vania  and  Rhode  Island,  and  in  the  latter  State  the  yield  was  only 
1,000  net  tons.  In  1870  Rhode  Island  produced  14,000  net  tons 
of  anthracite,  and  Pennsylvania  all  the  remainder  that  was  mined 
in  this  country.  Virtually,  the  American  supply  of  anthracite  coal 
is  producjed  Jby  Pennsylvania  alone.  ""The  anthracite  deposits  In  the 
other  sections  of  iKe^colifiiient,  alluded  to  above,  are  small  in  ex- 
tent, unfavorably  situated,  or  inferior  in  quality. 

In  1804  the  first  discovery  of  coal  west  of  the  Mississippi  was 
made  by  the  exploring  expedition  under  the  leadership  of  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  who  traced  brown  coal  or  lignite  from  about  twenty 
miles  above  the  Mandan  villages,  on  the  Missouri,  nearly  to  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  also  upon  the  Yellowstone  and 
other  streams.  In  one  of  the  exploring  expeditions  led  by  Captain 
Z.  M.  Pike  "fine  seams  of  coal"  were  discovered  "far  up  the  Osage 
river"  in  1806.  The  existence  of  coal  in  Alabama  was  first  noticed 
in  1834  by  Dr.  Alexander  Jones,  of  Mobile.  In  1870  coal  was 
mined  in  twenty  States  and  Territories  of  the  United  States. 


The  First  Coal  Mines  in  the  United  States  Opened  in  Virginia. — 
The  Virginia  coal  mines  were  undoubtedly  the  first  that  were  worked 
in  America.  Mines  of  bituminous  coal  were  opened  and  worked  on 
the  James  river,  in  Chesterfield  county,  a  few  miles  from  Richmond, 
probably  about  1750.  Virginia  coal  was  extensively  used  during 
the  Revolution.  An  air-furnace  was  built  at  Westham,  on  the 
James  river,  six  miles  above  Richmond,  which  used  coal  in  the 
manufacture  of  shot  and  shell  for  the  Revolutionary  army  until  the 
furnace  was  destroyed  by  Benedict  Arnold  in  1781.  Virginia  coal 
was  exported  to  various  cities  on  the  Atlantic  coast  before  the 
Revolution.  On  the  31st  of  August,  1776,  Thomas  Wharton,  Jr., 
and  Owen  Biddle,  of  Philadelphia,  were  authorized  to  employ  proper 
persons  to  bring  coal  from  Virginia  which  had  been  contracted  for 
by  the  Committee  of  Safety.  In  1789  Virginia  coal  sold  in  Phila- 
delphia at  Is.  Qd.  a  bushel.  In  1846  the  price  at  the  same  city  was 
20  to  22  cents  a  bushel,  which  was  two  or  three  cents  per  bushel 
higher  than  Allegheny  bituminous  coal.  It  was  the  scarcity  of  Vir- 
ginia coal  in  the  Philadelphia  market,  especially  during  the  war  with 
Great  Britain,  from  1812  to  1815,  which  largely  contributed  in  the 
early  part  of  the  present  century  to  the  development  of  the  vast  an- 
thracite coal  deposits  of  Pennsylvania.  The  exportation  of  Virginia 
coal  amounted  to  42,000  tons  in  1822,  and  it  reached  its  culmination 
in  1833,  when  142,000  tons  were  shipped  to  neighboring  States.  In 


EARLY  COAL   MINING   IN  VIRGINIA  AND   MARYLAND. 


Ill 


1842  the  shipments  had  fallen  to  65,000  tons.  Up  to  about  that 
year  it  was  the  principal  source  of  domestic  supply  of  mineral  fuel 
in  this  country,  and  down  to  about  1850  it  contributed  the  principal 
supply  to  the  gas-works  of  Philadelphia  and  other  American  cities, 
for  which  use  it  was  well  adapted.  For  about  twenty  years  after 
1833  the  importation  of  bituminous  coal  from  Great  Britain  and 
the  British  Provinces  into  Philadelphia,  principally  for  the  gas- 
works, steadily  increased,  owing  to  the  growing  scarcity  of  Virginia 
coal.  About  1856  the  gas  coals  of  Western  Pennsylvania  began 
to  be  used  in  Philadelphia,  to  the  practical  exclusion  of  the  foreign 
supply.  

Discovery  of  Coal  in  Maryland — Statistics  of  Cumberland  Coal. — 
Coal  is  improbably  said  to  have  been  discovered  six  miles  north- 
east of  Baltimore,  by  Benjamin  Henfrey,  in  1801.  The  Western 
Maryland  coal  basin  was  soon  afterwards  opened,  and  in  1820  the 
first  shipment  of  coal  from  Alleghany  county,  Maryland,  seems  to 
have  been  made,  when  a  few  thousand  tons  were  sent  down  the 
Potomac  in  boats.  In  1832  the  annual  shipment  of  Cumberland 
coal  down  the  Potomac  had  increased  to  about  300,000  bushels, 
most  of  which  was  not  sent  below  Harper's  Ferry.  The  price  of 
Cumberland  coal  at  tidewater  at  Georgetown  in  1838  was  20  cents 
a  bushel.  In  1842  the  shipment  of  Cumberland  coal  to  Baltimore, 
by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  commenced,  with  a  total  ton- 
nage for  the  year  of  1,708  tons.  The  total  shipments  of  Cumber- 
land coal  by  all  routes  to  the  seaboard  amounted  in  1873  to  2,674,- 
101  gross  tons,  and  in  1876  to  1,835,081  tons.  The  growth  of  this 
trade  is  shown  in  the  following  official  table  of  shipments : 


Year. 

Tons. 

I 
Year.  !   Tons. 

Year. 

Tons. 

Year. 

Tons. 

1842 

1,708 

1851  !    257,679 

1860 

788,909 

1869 

1,882,669 

1843 

10,082 

1852  ,    334,178 

1861 

269  674 

1870 

1,717,075 

1844 

14,890 

1853  i    533,979 

1862 

317,634 

1871 

2,345,153 

1845 

24.653 

1854  !    659,681 

1863 

748,345 

1872 

2,355,471 

1846 

29,795 

1855  !    662,272 

1864 

657,996 

1873 

2,674,101 

1847 

52.940 

1856  !    706,450 

1865 

903,495 

1874 

2,410,895 

1848 

79,571 

1857  '    582,486 

1866 

1,079,331 

1875 

2,342,773 

1849 

142,449 

1858  i    649,656 

1867 

1,193,822 

1876 

1,835,081 

1850 

196,848 

1859     724,354 

1868 

1,330,443 

Total, 

30,516,538 

Development  of  the  Great  Coal  Seam  at  Pittsburgh  by  Thomas 
Penn. — William  J.  Buck,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Historical  So- 
ciety of  Pennsylvania  on  the  4th  day  of  January,  1875,  quotes  from 
the  Penn  manuscripts  to  show  that  the  Penns  were  fully  aware  as 


112  COAL   MINING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


early  as  1769  of  the  existence  of  coal  at  Pittsburgh.  Thomas  Perm, 
in  a  letter  of  instructions,  dated  London,  January  31,  1769,  to  his 
nephew,  Lieutenant-Governor  John  Penn,  says :  "  We  desire  you  will 
order  5,000  acres  of  land  to  be  laid  out  about  Pittsburgh,  including 
the  town,  which  may  now  be  laid  out,  and  I  think  from  its  situation 
will  become  considerable  in  time ;  and  that  the  land  may  be  laid 
out  to  Colonel  Francis  and  his  associates,  and  other  gentlemen  of 
whom  I  wrote,  as  contiguous  as  it  may  be,  and  in  regular  right-an- 
gled tracts,  if  possible."  On  the  following  12th  of  May  he  writes 
to  Mr.  Tilghman  respecting  this  survey,  and  says  :  "  I  would  not 
engross  all  the  coal-hills,  but  rather  leave  the  greater  part  to  others 
who  may  work  them."  The  difficulties  between  the  mother  coun- 
try and  her  colonies  prevented  these  instructions  from  being  obeyed. 
In  1784,  however,  the  Penns,  who  retained  their  proprietary  in- 
terest in  large  tracts  of  Pennsylvania  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, including  the  manor  of  Pittsburgh,  surveyed  into  building 
lots  the  town  of  Pittsburgh,  and  in  the  same  year  the  privilege 
of  mining  coal  in  the  "great  seam"  opposite  the  town  was  sold 
at  the  rate  of  £30  for  each  mining  lot,  extending  back  to  the 
centre  of  the  hill.  This  event  may  be  regarded  as  forming  the  be- 
ginning of  the  coal  trade  of  Pittsburgh.  The  Pittsburgh  seam  of 
bituminous  coal  is  probably  the  most  extensively  accessible  seam  in 
this  country.  H.  D.  Rogers  says  of  it  that  it  spreads  uninterrupt- 
edly over  the  whole  valley  of  the  Monongahela,  from  the  base  of 
the  Chestnut  ridge  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  State,  and  west 
of  the  Ohio  river. 

The  West&rn  Pennsylvania  Coal  Trade — Statistics  of  Shipments. — 
The  supply  of  the  towns  and  cities  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers  with  Pittsburgh  coal  became  an  established  business  at  a 
very  early  day  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Down  to 
1850  all  the  coal  shipped  westward  from  Pittsburgh  was  floated 
down  the  Ohio  in  large  flat-bottomed  boats  with  the  spring  and 
fall  freshets,  each  boat  holding  about  15,000  bushels  of  coal.  The 
boats  were  usually  lashed  in  pairs,  and  were  sold  and  broken  up 
when  their  destination  was  reached.  In  1850  steam  tow-boats 
were  introduced,  by  means  of  which  coal  barges  were  towed  down 
the  river,  and  brought  back  when  empty.  This  method  of  trans- 
porting coal  from  Pittsburgh  by  water  has  almost  entirely  super- 
seded the  primitive  method.  One  tow-boat  now  tows  or  pushes 
a  dozen  barges,  each  barge  holding  about  12,000  bushels  of  coal. 


THE  WESTERN   PENNSYLVANIA  COAL  TRADE. 


113 


Some  Pittsburgh  coal  and  large  quantities  of  Connellsville  coke 
are  also  shipped  westward  by  railroad.  Nearly  all  the  coal  now 
shipped  from  Pittsburgh  is  taken  from  the  collieries  on  the  Monon- 
gahela  river,  which  is  improved  by  slackwater  navigation  a  distance 
of  85  miles  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Geneva,  the  Monongahela 
Navigation  Company  making  its  first  shipments  of  coal  in  1844. 
Since  that  year  the  total  shipments  of  coal  and  coke  by  this  com- 
pany have  been  as  follows  in  bushels,  each  thousand  bushels  being 
regarded  as  the  equivalent  of  thirty-eight  gross  tons,  which  makes 
the  weight  of  a  bushel  85.12  pounds. 


Year. 

Bushels. 

Year. 

1853 
1854 
1855 
1856 
1857 
1858 
1859 
1860 
1861 

Bushels. 

Year. 

Bushels. 

Year. 

Bushels. 

1844 
1845 
1846 
1847 
1848 
1849 
1850 
1851 
1852 

737,150 
4,605.185 
7,778,911 
9,645,127 
9,819,361 
9,708,507 
12,297,967 
12,521,228 
14,630,841 

15,716,367 
17,331,946 
22,234,009 
8,584,095 
28,973,596 
25,696,669 
28,286,671 
37,947,732 
20,865,722 

1862 
1863 
1864 
1865 
1866 
1867 
1868 
1869 
1870 

18,583,956 
26,444,252 
35,070,917 
39,522,792 
42,605,300 
30,072,700 
45,301,000 
52,512,600 
57,596,400 

1871 
1872 
1873 
1874 
1875 
1876 
1877 
Total, 

48,621,300 
57,280,500 
58,276,995 
65,881,700 
63,707,500 
68,481,000 
79,480,918 

1,076,820,914 

Large  quantities  of  Western  Pennsylvania  coal  have  annually 
been  shipped  eastward  by  the  Pennsylvania  Canal  and  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad,  and  of  late  years  Connellsville  and  Westmore- 
land coke  is  finding  a  market  east  of  the  Alleghenies.  Below  is  an 
official  statement  of  the  number  of  net  tons  of  bituminous  coal  and 
coke  forwarded  to  market  over  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in  the 
years  1875  and  1876. 


1875. 

1876. 

Coal. 

Coke. 

Total. 

Coal. 

Coke. 

Total. 

East  Broad  Top        

53567 

53567 

65,999 

65  999 

137  684 

137  684 

93881 

93*881 

Cumberland  

177,081 

177,081 

147,784 

147,784 

2870 

2  870 

574 

574 

Snow  Shoe  
Tyrone  and  Clearfield  

62*,426 
915  288 

286' 

62,426 
915,574 

51,329 
1,190,418 



51,329 
1  190  418 

Gallitzin  &  Mountain  regi'n 

224  143 

74 

224  217 

210,315 

210  315 

West  Pennsylvania  Railr'd. 
Southwest     " 
Westmoreland  region  
Pittsburgh             "      

223,184 
29,262 
733,671 
430,572 

52,780 
549,382 
36,273 
120,282 

275,964 
578,644 
769,944 
550,854 

203,354 
57,169 
896,810 
309,846 

57,798 
539,630 
60,465 
162,132 

261,152 
596,799 
957,275 
471,978 

Totals  

2.989,748 

759,077 

3,748,825 

3,227,479 

820.025 

4.047.504 

Beginning  of  the  Business  of  Manufacturing  Connellsville  Coke. — 
Small  quantities  of  coke  were  made  in  the  Connellsville  region 
early  in  the  present  century,  and  in  1836  pig  iron  was  made  with 


114  COAL   MINING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


coke  by  F.  H.  Oliphant  at  Fairchance  furnace,  near  Uniontown,  in 
Fayette  county.  The  beginning  of  the  regular  manufacture  of 
Connellsville  coke,  celebrated  for  its  excellence  and  cheapness  as  a 
fuel  for  blast  furnaces  and  for  other  manufacturing  purposes,  and 
for  locomotives,  is  said  by  Dr.  Frank  Cowan  to  date  from  the  sum- 
mer of  1841,  when  William  Turner,  Sr.,  P.  McCormick,  and  James 
Campbell  employed  John  Taylor  to  erect  two  ovens  for  making 
coke  on  his  farm  lying  on  the  Youghiogheny  river,  a  few  miles 
below  Connellsville.  The  ovens  were  built  of  the  bee-hive  pattern. 
After  repeated  failures  a  fair  quality  of  coke  was  produced  in  the 
early  part  of  the  winter  of  1841-2.  By  the  spring  of  1842  enough 
coke  had  been  made  to  load  a  coal  boat  ninety  feet  long.  This 
boat  was  run  down  the  Youghiogheny,  down  the  Monongahela, 
and  down  the  Ohio  to  Cincinnati,  where  a  purchaser  was  obtained 
for  the  coke  after  some  difficulty.  This  purchaser  was  Mr.  Green- 
wood, a  wealthy  foundryman,  and  the  price  paid  was  61  cents  a 
bushel,  half  cash  and  half  old  mill  irons.  Others  embarked  in  the 
business  of  manufacturing  coke  in  1842,  Mordecai  Cochran  and 
Richard  Brookius  among  the  number,  both  of  whom  were  success- 
ful. In  1844  improved  ovens  were  introduced  by  Col.  A.  M.  Hill, 
whose  energy  and  success  gave  great  impetus  to  the  coke  business. 
In  1855  there  were  only  twenty-six  coke  ovens  at  work  on  the 
Monongahela  river,  and  in  all  Western  Pennsylvania  there  were 
probably  not  over  a  hundred ;  now  their  number  may  be  counted 
by  thousands,  most  of  which  are  built  upon  improved  models. 
To-day  Connellsville  coke  is  extensively  used  in  many  States  and 
Territories,  its  use  extending  even  to  Utah  and  California.  It  is 
free  from  sulphur.  One  hundred  pounds  of  Connellsville  coal 
make  sixty-two  and  a  half  pounds  of  coke.  Good  coke  is  also 
made  largely  in  Westmoreland  county  and  in  other  sections  of  the 
western  part  of  the  State,  the  quality  of  which,  like  that  of  Con- 
nellsville coke,  is  nowhere  surpassed  outside  of  Pennsylvania,  not 
even  by  that  of  the  celebrated  Durham  coke  of  England. 


Beginning  of  the  Bituminous  Coal  Trade  of  Clearfield  County. — 
On  the  1st  of  November,  1785,  Samuel  Boyd  patented  a  tract  of 
bituminous  coal  land  near  Oldtown,  in  Clearfield  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, but  no  coal  from  this  tract  was  sent  east  of  the  Alleghenies 
until  1804.  In  that  year  William  Boyd  shipped  the  first  ark-load 
of  Clearfield  county  coal  down  the  Susquehanna  to  Columbia,  in 
Lancaster  county,  a  distance  of  260  miles.  The  new  fuel,  we  are 


BEGINNING   OF  THE   ANTHRACITE   COAL  TRADE.  115 

told,  "  was  a  matter  of  great  surprise  "  to  the  good  people  of  that 
county.  Other  ark-loads  followed  the  first  venture,  and  all  the 
towns  along  the  Susquehanna  were  soon  familiar  with  bituminous 
coal.  In  1828  the  first  cargo  of  Pennsylvania  bituminous  coal 
reached  Philadelphia  from  Karthaus,  in  Clearfield  county.  The 
coal  was  taken  down  the  Susquehanna  to  Port  Deposit,  at  the 
head  of  Chesapeake  bay,  and  thence  by  vessel  to  Philadelphia. 
About  the  same  time  coal  was  sent  to  Baltimore  from  the  same 
place.  The  distance  from  market  was  too  great,  however,  and  the 
means  of  transportation  too  imperfect  to  permit  the  building  up  of 
a  large  trade  in  bituminous  coal  between  the  Alleghenies  and  the 
seaboard,  and  the  situation  was  not  materially  changed  for  many 
years  after  the  completion  in  1834  of  the  Pennsylvania  system  of 
internal  improvements.  The  competition  of  domestic  anthracite, 
and  of  foreign  and  domestic  bituminous  coal,  the  last  from  Virginia 
and  Maryland,  was  too  great  to  be  easily  overcome,  and  in  the  case 
of  anthracite  it  has  never  yet  been  overcome,  although  the  ship- 
ments of  Western  Pennsylvania  coal  and  coke  to  the  seaboard  are 
steadily  increasing.  _ 


Description  of  the  Anthracite  Coal  Fields  of  Pennsylvania.  —  & 
Daddow^in  the  American  Cyclopaedia,  (1873),  gives  the  total  area 
of  the  anthracite  coal  fields  of  Pennsylvania  as  472  square  miles, 
divided  into  the  Wyoming  field,  198  miles;  the  Schuylkill,  146 
miles;  the  Lehigh,  37  miles;  and  the  Middle,  91  miles.  We  pre- 
sent a  brief  description  of  the  development  of  each  of  these  divis- 
ions, which  has  been  carefully  collated  from  the  highest  authorities. 


The  Wyoming  Field. — Anthracite  coal  was  discovered  in  the  Wy- 
oming valley  as  early  as  1766,  as  appears  from  a  statement  by  Mr. 
Buck.  He  says  that  James  Tilghman,  of  Philadelphia,  addressed 
a  letter  to  the  Proprietaries,  Thomas  and  Richard  Penn,  at  Spring 
Garden,  London,  on  the  14th  day  of  August,  1766,  in  which  he 
stated  that  his  brother-in-law,  Colonel  Francis,  had  gone  "  up  the 
N.  E.  Branch  as  far  as  Wyoming,  where  he  says  there  is  a  consid- 
erable body  of  good  land  and  a  very  great  fund  of  coal  in  the  hills, 
which  surround  a  very  fine  and  extensive  bottom  there.  This  coal 
is  thought  to  be  very  fine.  With  his  compliments  he  sends  you  a 
piece  of  the  coal.  This  bed  of  coal,  situate  as  it  is  on  the  side  of  the 
river,  may  some  time  or  other  be  a  thing  of  great  value."  By  way 
of  postscript  he  adds:  "The  coal  is  in  a  small  package  of  the 


116  COAL    MINING    IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


Governor's."  In  a  reply  from  Thomas  Penn,  dated  London,  the  fol- 
lowing 7th  of  November,  to  Mr.  Tilghman,  he  says,  in  acknowledg- 
ment :  "  I  desire  you  will  return  my  thanks  to  Colonel  Francis  for 
his  good  services  in  removing  the  intruders  that  were  settled  on  the 
Indians'  land,  and  for  the  piece  of  coal,  which  we  shall  have  exam- 
ined by  some  persons  skillful  in  that  article,  and  send  their  observa- 
tions on  it."  It  is  further  stated  by  Mr.  Buck  that  the  next  men- 
tion of  coal  in  this  section  is  in  a  draft  by  Charles  Stewart,  from  a 
survey  made  in  1768  of  a  large  tract  of  land  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Susquehanna,  opposite  the  present  borough  of  Wilkesbarre, 
which  has  "  stone  coal "  marked  thereon.  The  traveler,  Dr.  Schopf, 
tells  us  that  in  1783  he  found  specimens  of  coal  in  the  Swatara 
creek,  in  Lebanon  county,  and  learned  of  its  existence  up  the  west 
branch  of  the  Susquehanna. 

The  Wyoming  valley  was  partly  settled  by  a  colony  of  Connecti- 
cut people  in  1762,  representing  "The  Susquehanna  Company."  In 
the  same  year  the  Indians  murdered  about  twenty  of  the  colony,  and 
the  remainder  of  the  settlers  were  driven  away.  Gradually  the  sur- 
vivors and  others  associated  with  them  returned  to  the  valley,  and 
in  1768-9  it  is  claimed  that  two  of  the  settlers,  being  two  brothers 
named  Gore,  from  Connecticut,  who  were  blacksmiths,  were  the  first 
in  this  country  to  use  anthracite  coal.  This  they  did  in  their  forge 
fire. 

In  1776,  and  throughout  the  Revolutionary  war,  anthracite  coal 
was  taken  in  arks  from  the  Wyoming  mines  above  Wilkesbarre 
down  the  Susquehanna  to  the  United  States  armory  at  Carlisle. 
Dr.  Schopf  visited  Carlisle  in  1783,  where  he  informs  us  that 
just  outside  the  town  were  situated  four  rows  of  old  and  new  build- 
ings, in  which  during  the  war  a  number  of  workmen  were  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  muskets,  swords,  and  wrought-iron  cannon  of 
great  strength.  Mr.  Buck  says  of  the  first  shipment,  that  "  two 
Durham  boats  were  sent  from  Harris's  Ferry,  now  Harrisburg,  up 
the  Susquehanna  to  Wyoming  for  anthracite  coal,  and  about  twenty 
tons  were  purchased  from  Mr.  Geer  and  brought  down  to  that  place, 
whence  it  was  hauled  to  Carlisle  in  wagons,  and  which  appears  was 
done  annually  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  This  coal,  we  learn, 
was  obtained  from  a  bed  belonging  to  Judge  Hollenback,  one  mile 
above  Wilkesbarre,  near  the  mouth  of  Mill  creek."  Mr.  Daddow 
says  that  some  of  it  also  came  from  the  old  Smith  mine  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Plymouth.  The  shipment  of  Wyoming  coal  down  the  Sus- 
quehanna in  arks  continued  until  the  completion  of  the  North 


BEGINNING   OF  THE    ANTHRACITE   COAL  TRADE.  117 


Branch  Canal  in  July,  1834.  The  first  cargo  sent  down  the  Sus- 
quehanna  constituted  the  first  shipment  of  anthracite  coal  that  was 
made  in  this  country.  The  price  of  coal  at  Wilkebarre  in  1790 
was  $3  a  ton. 

At  Carbondale,  in  the  northeastern  section  of  the  Wyoming  coal 
field,  coal  was  discovered  in  1804  by  a  surveyor  named  Samuel 
Preston,  and  in  1814  William  and  Maurice  Wurtz  commenced  to 
make  arrangements  for  its  development.  In  1815  they  succeeded, 
after  many  discouraging  adventures,  in  sending  one  ark-load  of  coal 
to  Philadelphia,  through  the  Lackawaxen  and  Delaware  rivers,  but 
the  experiment  was  not  repeated  until  1823,  after  which  shipments 
to  Philadelphia  were  successfully  made. 

In  1829  the  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  124  miles  long,  from 
Carbondale  to  the  Hudson  river,  including  16  miles  of  railroad,  was 
completed  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,000,  expressly  to  carry  to  Eastern 
markets  the  anthracite  coal  of  the  Wyoming  valley.  The  railroad 
extends  from  Carbondale  to  Honesdale,  and  the  canal  extends  from 
Honesdale  to  the  Hudson  river.  In  the  same  year  7,000  tons  of 
coal  were  sent  to  New  York  by  this  route. 


The  Schuylkill  Field.— Within  the  limits  of  the  Schuylkill  coal 
field  anthracite  coal  appears  to  have  been  known  to  the  settlers  as 
early  as  1770.  In  Scull's  map  of  Pennsylvania,  published  in  that 
year,  "coal"  is  marked  about  the  head  waters  of  Schuylkill  creek, 
thence  stretching  westward  to  those  of  the  Swatara,  and  to  "the 
wilderness  of  St.  Anthony."  This  "wilderness,"  we  may  mention, 
extended  from  Peters's  mountain,  in  Dauphin  county,  westward  to 
the  Kittatinny  or  Blue  mountains. 

The  act  of  March  15,  1784,  for  the  improvement  of  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Schuylkill,  mentions  "the  coal  mines  at  Basler's  saw- 
mill" in  Schuylkill  county.  A  Yankee  hunter,  named  Nicholas 
Allen,  is  said  to  have  discovered  coal  in  1790  at  the  foot  of  Broad 
mountain,  in  the  same  county.  No  attempt  to  mine  the  coal  which 
Allen  had  discovered  seems  to  have  been  made.  Reading  Howell, 
in  his  map  of  Pennsylvania,  published  in  1792,  marks  the  existence 
of  "  coal "  near  the  source  of  Panther  creek,  about  five  miles  east  of 
the  present  town  of  Tamaqua,  and  on  the  border  of  Carbon  county. 
We  read  that  in  1795  a  blacksmith  named  Whetstone  used  anthra- 
cite coal  in  his  "smithery,"  near  Pottsville,  while  others  attempted 
to  use  it  and  abandoned  it  in  disgust.  About  1800  William  Morris 
took  a  wagon-load  of  coal  from  near  Port  Carbon  to  Philadelphia, 


118  COAL    MINING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 

but  nobody  wanted  it,  and  Mr.  Morris  made  no  further  efforts  to 
mine  or  sell  coal.  About  1806  coal  was  found  at  Valley  Forge,  on 
the  Schuylkill  river,  and  a  blacksmith  named  David  Berlin  and 
others  successfully  used  it.  In  1812  Col.  George  Shoemaker,  of 
Pottsville,  loaded  nine  wagons  with  coal  from  his  mines  at  Centre- 
ville,  and  hauled  it  to  Philadelphia,  where  with  great  difficulty  he 
sold  two  loads  at  the  cost  of  transportation,  and  gave  the  other  seven 
loads  away.  He  was  by  many  regarded  as  an  impostor  for  attempt- 
ing to  sell  stone  to  the  public  as  coal.  Of  the  two  loads  sold,  one 
was  purchased  by  White  &  Hazard,  for  use  at  their  wire-works  at 
the  Falls  of  Schuylkill,  and  the  other  was  purchased  by  Malm  & 
Bishop,  for  use  at  the  Delaware  County  rolling-mill.  By  the 
merest  accident  of  closing  the  furnace  doors,  Mr.  White  obtained  a 
hot  fire  from  the  coal,  and  from  this  occurrence,  happening  in  1812, 
we  may  date  the  first  successful  use  of  anthracite  coal  in  the  manu- 
factures of  this  country.  Up  to  that  time  bituminous  coal  from 
Virginia  had  been  exclusively  used  for  manufacturing  purposes  in 
Philadelphia,  and  largely  for  domestic  purposes.  The  war  with 
Great  Britain  had,  however,  made  Virginia  coal  very  scarce,  and  it 
was  very  desirable  that  a  substitute  should  be  found.  The  following 
story  is  told  of  the  success  achieved  by  White  &  Hazard  in  the  use 
of  anthracite  coal  in  their  wire-works  :  A  whole  night  was  spent  in 
endeavoring  to  make  it  burn,  when  the  hands,  in  despair,  quit  their 
work,  but  left  the  furnace  door  shut.  Fortunately,  one  of  them 
forgot  his  jacket,  and  on  returning  to  the  works  half  an  hour  after- 
wards he  noticed  that  the  door  was  red  hot,  and  the  interior  of  the 
furnace  in  a  white  glowing  heat.  Thenceforward  no  trouble  was 
experienced  in  making  the  new  fuel  burn.  In  1815  the  improve- 
ment of  the  navigation  of  the  Schuylkill  river  was  commenced  by 
the  Schuylkill  Navigation  Company,  but  many  years  elapsed  before 
coal  was  taken  to  Philadelphia  by  this  channel.  In  1822  there  were 
shipped  1480  tons  to  Philadelphia,  but  boats  did  not  pass  from 
Pottsville  to  Philadelphia  until  1825,  when  6,500  tons'  were,  sent 
down  the  Schuylkill.  Prior  to  that  year  the  coal  trade  of  the  Lehigh 
region  had  been  opened. 

The  Lehigh  Field. — The  first  discovery  of  anthracite  coal  in  the 
Lehigh  region  is  said  to  have  been  made  in  the  Mauch  Chunk 
mountain,  about  nine  miles  west  of  Mauch  Chunk,  where  the  village 
of  Summit  Hill  is  now  located,  by  a  poor  hunter,  named  Philip 
Ginter,  in  1791.  Pieces  of  the  coal  discovered  by  Ginter  were 


BEGINNING   OF  THE   ANTHRACITE   COAL   TRADE.  119 


taken  to  Colonel  Jacob  Weiss,  at  'Fort  Allen,  who  opened  a 
"quarry"  in  the  coal  mountain  that  year.  The  discovery  of  coal 
on  the  Lehigh  was  announced  as  follows  in  the  New  York  Mag- 
azine for  February,  1792,  in  a  communication  dated  Philadelphia, 
January  31:  "A  coal  mine  has  been  discovered  on  the  Lehigh, 
in  the  county  of  Northampton.  The  coal  yet  found  is  small,  but 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  by  searching  deeper  it  will 
be  found  larger.  The  quality  is  good.  If  this  natural  advantage 
is  improved,  it  will  be  a  prodigious  resource  to  the  city  and 
cheapen  the  article  of  fuel,  which  now,  from  the  labor  of  trans- 
portation, bears  a  high  price."  In  1793  Colonel  Weiss,  John 
Nicholson,  Michael  Hillegas,  Charles  Cist,  Robert  Morris,  (of 
Revolutionary  fame),  J.  Anthony  Morris,  and  others  organized 
the  Lehigh  Coal-Mine  Company,  which  obtained  control  of 
about  six  thousand  acres  of  coal  land,  and  several  tons  of  coal 
were  soon  "dug  up."  But  there  was  no  market  nearer  than 
Philadelphia,  and  there  existed  no  means  of  communication  with 
that  city.  It  was  not  until  1803  that  the  company  succeeded  in 
floating  two  arks  to  Philadelphia,  through  the  Lehigh  and  Dela- 
ware rivers,  laden  with  two  hundred  tons  of  coal.  Five  arks 
were  started,  but  three  of  these  were  wrecked.  The  coal,  how- 
ever, could  not  be  made  to  burn,  probably  because  large  lumps 
were  used,  and  was  thrown  away  as  useless  for  any  purpose 
except  to  "gravel  footwalks."  In  1806  William  Turnbull,  of 
Philadelphia,  floated  three  hundred  bushels  of  coal  from  this 
region  to  Philadelphia,  in  an  ark  he  had  constructed  at  Lau- 
sanne. The  coal  was  sold  to  the  Central  Square  Water- Works, 
but  it  proved  to  be  unmanageable,  and  Mr.  Turnbull's  experiment 
was  not  repeated. 

To  encourage  the  use  of  their  coal,  the  Lehigh  Coal-Mine  Com- 
pany executed,  on  the  18th  of  December,  1807,  a  lease  for  twenty- 
one  years  to  James  Bufland  and  James  Rowland  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  their  land  in  Northampton  county,  with  the  privilege  of 
digging  iron  ore  and  coal  free  for  the  manufacture  of  iron.  The 
enterprise  was  unsuccessful,  and  the  lease  was  abandoned  about 
1814.  We  regard  it  as  absolutely  certain  that  no  iron  was  made, 
and  we  think  no  coal  was  mined.  The  following  extract  from  the 
proposition  of  Butland  &  Rowland,  dated  November  30,  1807,  is 
worthy  of  preservation :  "  The  subscribers,  having  obtained  by  patent 
from  the  United  States  an  exclusive  right  of  using  a  natural  carbon 
or  peculiar  kind  of  coal,  such  as  is  found  in  the  neighborhood  of 


120  COAL   MINING    IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


the  Lehigh  and  Susquehanna  rivers,  and  other  parts  of  the  United 
States,  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  pig,  cast,  and  bar  iron, 
propose  commencing  the  operation  in  such  a  situation  as  may  be 
deemed  best  adapted  to  the  purpose." 

In  1814  two  ark-loads  of  Lehigh  coal  reached  Philadelphia 
from  the  mines  of  the  Lehigh  Coal-Mine  Company,  then  leased  by 
the  Hon.  Charles  Miner  and  Jacob  Cist,  a  son  of  Charles  Cist,- and 
this  time  the  coal  was  sold  at  $21  a  ton  and  successfully  used  by 
the  purchasers,  Josiah  White  and  Erskine  Hazard,  who  were  then 
manufacturing  wire  at  the  Falls  of  Schuylkill.  After  this  venire 
Miner  and  Cist  abandoned  the  mining  and  shipment  of  anthracite 
coal.  They  had  lost  money.  In  1817  White  and  Hazard  and 
George  F.  A.  Hauto  became  interested  in  the  improvement  of  the 
navigation  of  the  Lehigh  river,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the 
development  of  the  Lehigh  coal  mines,  and  on  the  20th  of  March, 
1818,  an  act  of  the  Legislature  was  passed  authorizing  the  incorpo- 
ration of  the  Lehigh  Coal  and  Navigation  Company.  This  com- 
pany obtained  a  lease  for  twenty  years  of  the  Lehigh  Coal-Mine 
Company's  lands,  then  amounting  to  ten  thousand  acres,  for  one  ear 
of  corn  a  year,  if  demanded ;  with  the  proviso  that,  from  and  after 
three  years,  the  latter  company  should  send,  on  their  own  account, 
at  least  40,000  bushels  of  coal,  or  about  1,500  tons,  per  annum  to 
Philadelphia.  The  new  company  commenced  work  immediately. 
In  1820  it  sent  365  tons  of  anthracite  coal  to  market;  in  1821, 
1,073  tons;  in  1822,  2,240  tons;  in  1823,  5,823  tons;  and  in  1826 
its  trade  increased  to  31,280  tons,  which  seemed  to  be  near  the  limit 
of  the  capacity  of  the  works  as  then  constructed.  During  the  next 
year,  1827,  the  Mauch  Chunk  Railroad  was  finished,  and  the  as- 
cending navigation  was  put  under  contract,  soon  after  which  ship- 
ments steadily  increased. 

The  Middle  Field. — The  Middle  region,  occupying  a  wild 
and  broken  section  of  country  between  the  Wyoming  and  Schuyl- 
kill regions,  and  extending  on  the  east  to  the  Lehigh  region, 
was  the  last  of  the  four  great  anthracite  coal  fields  of  Pennsylvania 
to  be  developed.  The  Mahanoy  and  Shamokin  basins  compose  its 
principal  divisions.  Coal  pits  or  mines  are  marked  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Mahanoy  creek,  above  Crab  run,  in  Scull's  map  of 
Pennsylvania  in  1770.  But  little  mining  was  done  in  the  region 
until  1834,  owing  mainly  to  its  inaccessibility.  In  that  year  500 
tons  were  mined  and  hauled  in  wagons  to  neighboring  districts. 


FIRST  USE   OF  ANTHRACITE   IN  STOVES  AND    GRATES.         121 


First  Use  of  Anthracite  Coal  in  Pennsylvania  in  Stoves  and  Grates. 
— It  is  claimed  by  Dr.  T.  C.  James,  of  Philadelphia,  in  a  paper 
read  before  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the  19th 
of  April,  1826,  that  he  successfully  used  anthracite  coal  in  1804 
and  thenceforward.  Unfortunately,  Dr.  James  does  not  say  wheth- 
er he  used  the  coal  in  a  stove  or  a  grate.  In  the  introduction 
to  the  census  of  the  United  States  for  1860  it  is  stated  that 
Oliver  Evans,  of  Philadelphia,  patented  in  1800  a  "luminous" 
grated  stove,  with  talc  light,  with  special  reference  to  the  use 
of  mineral  coal ;  "  but  Dr.  Thomas  C.  James  was  one  of  the  first 
to  use  it  habitually  in  his  house,  which  he  continued  to  do  from 
1804  to  1826."  In  the  Philadelphia  Sunday  Dispatch  mention  is 
made  of  the  first  cooking-stove  to  use  anthracite  coal,  as  follows : 

In  April,  1828,  the  United  States  Gazette  described  an  invention  which 
had  recently  been  perfected  by  Williamson  &  Paynter,  stove  manufacturers, 
southwest  corner  of  Ninth  and  Market  streets,  Philadelphia.  It  consisted 
of  "a  cast-iron  box,  fifteen  to  thirty  inches  in  length,  eight  to  ten  inches 
wide,  and  six  or  seven  inches  deep.  It  has  a  grated  bottom,  and  is  calculated 
to  burn  anthracite  coal  as  readily  as  charcoal.  Upon  one  edge  is  placed  a 
common  tin-kitchen,  or  roaster,  in  front  of  which,  on  the  opposite  edge,  is  a 
sheet-iron  fixture  of  the  same  length,  which  reflects  the  heat  upon  the  con- 
tents of  the  tin-kitchen.  Through  the  top  of  the  reflector  may  be  placed 
boilers  for  meats  and  vegetables.  By  means  of  false  jambs,  the  size  of  the 
fire  is  reduced  at  will.  By  displacing  the  reflector  and  the  tin-kitchen,  the 
box  or  furnace  may  be  used  to  heat  water,  roast  coffee,"  etc.  The  contrivance 
was  fixed  on  four  iron  wheels,  and  the  cost  of  it,  according  to  the  Gazette, 
would  not  exceed  nine  dollars.  This  was  undoubtedly  the  first  improvement 
of  the  kind.  Such  an  adaptation  could  not  have  been  made  until  after  an- 
thracite coal  came  into  common  use.  It  was  certainly  a  great  addition  to 
household  economy,  and  was  one  of  the  most  important  improvements  in 
stoves  since  Franklin  invented  the  "  Pennsylvania  fireplace." 

Down  to  1808  the  anthracite  coal  of  the  Wyoming  valley  was 
used  only  in  smiths'  forges,  but  in  that  year  Judge  Jesse  Fell,  of 
Wilkesbarre,  was  successful  in  using  it  in  a  grate,  as  clearly  ap- 
pears from  a  memorandum  signed  with  his  name  and  dated  Febru- 
ary 11,  1808.  This  may  have  been  the  first  successful  attempt 
that  had  been  made  to  use  the  new  fuel  for  domestic  purposes  in  a 
grate,  either  in  this  country  or  in  any  other  country.  Anthracite 
coal  was  not  used  in  Wales  until  1813,  nor  in  France  until  1814. 
Its  use  in  grates  soon  became  general  wherever  it  was  mined  or  could 
be  transported.  "In  the  year  1788,"  says  Judge  Fell,  "I  used  it  in 
a  nailery,  and  found  it  to  be  profitable  in  that  business.  The  nails 


122  COAL   MINING   IN    PENNSYLVANIA. 


made  with  it  would  neat  the  weight  of  the  rods,  and  frequently  a 
balance  over."  

Cost  of  Developing  the  Anthracite  Coal  Fields  of  Pennsylvania. — 
In  Mr.  Daddow's  paper  in  the  American  Cyclopaedia  is  a  table  of 
the  canals  and  railroads  which  have  been  constructed  for  the  trans- 
portation to  market  of  the  anthracite  coal  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of 
the  capital  invested  in  its  mining  and  transportation.  From  this 
table  we  learn  that  the  length  of  the  main  track  of  the  railroads 
built  exclusively  or  mainly  for  the  transportation  of  anthracite  coal 
is  1,231  i  miles,  of  which  538f  miles  are  double  track  :  the  length  of 
the  sidings  and  branches,  is  52(H  miles.  The  length  of  the  canals 
built  for  the  same  purpose  is  673  miles.  The  cost  of  the  railroads 
is  placed  at  $128,000,000;  of  the  canals  at  $47,000,000;  of  the 
coal  lands  at  $75,000,000;  and  of  the  collieries  at  $43,700,000; 
total,  $293,700,000.  These  figures  are  for  1873. 


Miscellaneous  Information  About  Coal  Mining  in  Pennsylvania. — 
The  well-known  Blossburg  semi-bituminous  coal  region  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, which  annually  produces  about  a  million  tons  of  coal,  was 
not  brought  into  public  notice  until  after  1832,  in  which  year  it  was 
geologically  surveyed  by  R.  C.  Taylor.  In  1840  its  development 
began  by  the  building  of  a  railroad  to  reach  Northern  markets. 
In  that  year  4,235 "tons  were  sent  to  market,  followed  by  25,966 
tons  in  1841.  The  Broad  Top  semi-bituminous  coal  section  of  the 
State  was  but  very  slightly  developed  until  1856,  when  the  Hun- 
tingdon and  Broad  Top  Railroad  was  completed  and  the  first  coal 
sent  eastward  to  market. 

Splint,  or  block,  coal  is  found  in  the  Shenango  valley,  and  is 
largely  used  as  it  comes  from  the  mine  in  the  manufacture  of  pig 
iron.  Mercer  county  produced  half  a  million  tons  of  this  coal  in 
1871.  Small  deposits  of  cannel  coal  are  found  in  the  western  part 
of  the  State.  Previous  to  the  discovery  of  petroleum  in  large  quan- 
tities in  Northwestern  Pennsylvania,  illuminating  oil  was  distilled 
from  cannel  coal  mined  along  the  Allegheny  river  and  elsewhere. 

The  use  of  anthracite  coal  for  generating  steam  was  attempted  in 
Philadelphia  very  early  in  the  present  century,  but  it  is  stated  that 
this  use  of  anthracite  was  not  successful  until  1825,  when  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  rolling-mill  at  Phoenixville  used  it  under  their  boilers. 
It  was  used  successfully  about  1827  at  the  same  mill  in  puddling 
iron.  In  1837-8  successful  experiments  in  smelting  iron  ore  with 


MISCELLANEOUS  INFORMATION  ABOUT  PENNSYLVANIA  COAL.     123 


anthracite  coal  were  made  at  Mauch  Chunk,  and  in  1839  at  Potts- 
ville. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1823  the  Boston  ironworks  obtained  a  full 
cargo  of  Lehigh  anthracite  coal,  for  use  in  heating  iron  for  the  rolls 
in  their  mill,  and  for  smith  work.  This  was  the  first  cargo  of  an- 
thracite coal  taken  around  Cape  Cod.  But,  a  short  time  previous 
to  this  transaction,  and  in  the  same  year,  Cyrus  Alger  of  South 
Boston  obtained  a  lot  of  about  thirty  tons  of  Lehigh  coal,  which  he 
used  in  a  cupola  for  melting  iron  for  castings.  In  1839  anthracite 
coal  was  used  in  puddling  at  the  Boston  ironworks  by  Ralph 
Crooker,  the  superintendent. 

Outside  of  Pennsylvania  the  mining  of  anthracite  coal  is  every- 
where conducted  on  so  small  a  scale  that  there  is  nowhere  in  the 
world  to  be  found  a  single  coal-breaker  except  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  this  State.  Of  the  sixty-six  counties  in  Pennsylvania,  only 
twenty-five  contain  no  coal.  There  is  practically  no  coal  of  any 
kind  in  the  United  States  east  or  north  of  Pennsylvania.  As  no 
other  country  can  successfully  compete  with  this  State  in  the  pro- 
duction of  anthracite,  the  exportation  of  the  finest  domestic  fuel  in 
the  world  should  soon  become  a  regular  and  extensive  business. 

Statistics  of  Coal  Mining  in  the  United  States  and  in  Pennsylvania. 
— The  position  of  Pennsylvania  among  the  coal-producing  States 
and  Territories  of  the  United  States  is  clearly  shown  in  the  statistics 
of  coal  production  in  the  census  year  1870,  herewith  presented,  and 
in  the  accompanying  statistics  of  production  in  1874  and  1875,  the 
latter  prepared  by  Richard  P.  Roth  well.  The  official  statistics  for 
the  census  year  are  in  net  tons,  but  in  compiling  the  statistics  for 
1874  and  1875  Mr.  Rothwell  has  used  the  gross  ton,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  comparison  he  has  presented  in  a  parallel  column  the 
production  of  1870  in  gross  tons. 

It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  table  that  the  total  production 
of  coal  in  this  country  in  1870  was  29,342,580  gross  tons,  of  which 
Pennsylvania  produced  20,936,422  tons,  or  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  whole.  Of  the  total  production,  13,985,960  gross  tons,  or  almost 
one-half,  were  anthracite,  and  of  this  all  was  produced  in  Pennsyl- 
vania except  12,500  tons.  By  further  reference  to  the  table  it  will 
be  observed  that,  in  1875,  with  which  year  the  first  century  of  the 
American  Republic  may  be  said  to  have  closed,  the  total  production 
of  coal  in  the  country  was  47,513,235  gross  tons,  of  which  Pennsyl- 
vania produced  31,143,509  tons,  or  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole. 


124 


COAL   MINING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


Of  the  total  production  by  Pennsylvania,  20,643,509  gross  tons  were 
anthracite,  and  10,500,000  tons  were  bituminous. 


STATES. 

Census 
Report 
June  1, 
1870. 

Year 
ending 
Dec.  31, 
1874. 

Year 
ending 
Dec.  HI, 
1875. 

Per- 

ofthe 
whole, 
1875. 

9821 

45,000 

60000 

0.13 

5000 

9  000 

002 

California  post-  carboniferous  coal     

214,600 

166  100 

0.35 

4018 

150  000 

150000 

0.32 

Illinois  bituminous     

2,343,003 

3,000,000 

3,500,000 

7.37 

390955 

812,000 

800000 

1.69 

Iowa                 "         

235,256 

1,500,000 

1,500,000 

3.16 

29410 

250,000 

275,000 

0.58 

134  449 

360  000 

375  000 

079 

1,624,843 

2,410,895 

2,342,773 

4.94 

Michigan           ' 

25  134 

12,000 

12000 

002 

Missouri  '          '                  

555,295 

714,000 

750,000 

1.58 

Nebraska           ' 

1  272 

1,300 

1,300 

1  000 

1000 

2,256,504 

3,810,344 

4,346,653 

9.15 

43200 

28800 

006 

Pennsylvania  anthracite*  and  bituminousf  

20.936,422 

32,667,386 

31,143,509 

65.54 

12500 

17,000 

11,000 

002 

119,123 

350,000 

360,000 

0.76 

5,178 

30,000 

35,000 

0.07 

Virgi'nia             "                  " 

55  181 

73100 

79200 

0  17 

Washington       "                  "    

15,932 

27,100 

88,900 

0.16 

543  641 

1,000,000 

1,100,000 

232 

Wyoming  post-carboniferous  coal  

44,643 

260,000 

278,000 

0.59 

North  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Indian  Territory, 
bituminous..  

60,000 

100,000 

0.21 

13,985,960 

21.684,386 

20,654,509 

43.48 

Total  bituminous                 ..          

15,231,668 

25,330,539 

26,031,726 

54.78 

Total  post-carboniferous  coal  

124,952 

799,000 

827,000 

1.74 

Total  of  all  kinds  

29,342,580 

47,813,925 

47,513,235 

100.00 

*  Anthracite  

13,973,460 

21,667,386 

20,643,509 

43.44 

t  Bituminous.... 

6,962,962 

11,000,000 

10,500,000 

22.10 

We  present  below  a  table,  which  we  have  compiled  from  reliable 
sources,  showing  the  production  of  mineral  coal  by  all  countries  in 
late  years,  to  which  is  added  the  share  of  Pennsylvania. 


MINERAL  COAL  BY  COUNTRIES. 

Year. 

Gross  Tons. 

Per 
cent,  of 
total. 

Great  Britain                                                  

1875 

131,867,105 

47.62 

United  States           

1875 

47,513,235 

17.16 

1874 

46,658,000 

16.85 

187-6 

17,047,761 

6.15 

1876 

15,011,330 

5.42 

1875 

12,852,048 

4.64 

1874 

1,346,900 

.49 

Nova  Scotia                                                      

1876 

709,646 

.26 

New  South  Wales  

1874 

1,304,567 

.47 

Spain                                                        

1873 

570,000 

.21 

India                                                                            

1875 

500,000 

.18 

150,000 

.05 

1874 

390,000 

.14 

Chili,  China,  New  Zealand,  and  other  countries  

1,000,000 

Total..  

276,920,592 

100.00 

HnitPfl  qt»tAQ  /Pennsylvania,  31,143,509  tons  1 
.  btates,  |  Qtner  states     16  369  726  tons          j 

1875 

47.513,235 

17.16 

Percentage  of  the  world's  nroduction  bv  Pennsylvania.... 

11.05 

STATISTICS   OF  COAL   MINING   IN   PENNSYLVANIA. 


125 


The  following  statistics  by  districts  of  coal  mined  in  Pennsylvania 
in  187.3,  a  year  of  greater  production  than  1875  or  1876,  and  the 
year  of  greatest  production  since  the  beginning  of  coal  mining  in  the 
State,  are  taken  from  Macfarlane's  Coal  Regions  of  America. 


ANTHRACITE.—  GROSS  TONS. 

Grand 
Total. 

COUNTIES. 

Sent  to 
market. 
Official. 

Home 
consump'n. 
Estimated. 

Total 
Product. 

Schuylkill  

4,252,043 
1,234,070 
358,741 
449,915 
10,047,241 
3,243,168 

880,000 
170,000 
25,000 
30,000 
1,675,000 
463,000 

5,132,043 
1,404,070 
383,741 
479,915 
11,722,241 
3,706,168 

22,828,178. 
2,598,702 

9,096,680 

Northumberland 

Columbia  

Wyoming  

Lehigh  ,  

Total  anthracite 

19,585,178 

3,243,000 

22,828,178 

SEMI-BITUMINOUS.VG 

ROSS   TONS. 

MINvES. 

Tons 
produced. 

Total. 

Fall  Brook  Coal  Company,  Blossburg  

312,466 
357,384 
321,207 
212,462 
252,329 
85,315 

I    991,057 
212,462 
}    337,644 

L  1,057,539 

Morris  Run  Coal  Company  Blossburg 

Blossburg  Coal  Company,  Blossburg  

Mclntyre  Coal  Company  Ralston 

Towanda  Coal  Company,  Towanda  

Fall  Creek  Coal  Company,  Towanda  

Total  Northern  Pennsylvania 

1,541,163 
95,257 
612,036 
350,246 

Snow  Shoe,  Centre  county  

Clearfield  county 

Broad  Top,  Huntingdon  county  

2,598,702 

2,593,702 

BITUMINOUS.—  GROSS  TONS. 

LOCALITIES. 

Tons 
produced. 

Johnstown,  used  in  ironworks,  etc.  (estimated 
Allegheny  Mountain  region,  Pennsylvania  Rai 
West  Pennsylvania  Raiiroad  

250,000 
220,409 
259,340 
255,355 
878,944 
685,611 
81,742 
436,650 
529,496 
132,118 
315,044 
111,169 
159,057 
125,109 
846,374 
2,000 
447,855 
99,091 
3,733 
2,157,583 
600,000 
500,000 

..  . 
Iroad  

Westmoreland  gas  coal  

Philadelphia  and  Erie  Railroad    . 

Allegheny  Valley  Railroad  

Erie  and  Pittsburgh  Railroad  (block  coal). 

Lawrence  Railroad 

Newcastle  and  Beaver  Railroad  

Little  Sawmill  Run  Railroad  

Pittsburgh  and  Castle  Shannon  Railroad 

Pittsburgh  and  Connellsville  Railroad.  ..  . 

Pittsburgh,  West  Virginia  and  Charleston  Rail 
Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis  Railroad 

Shenango  and  Allegheny  Railroad 

Wheeling,  Pittsburgh  and  Baltimore  Railroad. 

Monongahela  Navigation         ..           . 

Used  by  railroads,  not  in  above  

Mined  on  rivers  and  in  country  pits,  not  in  ab< 
Total  bituminous  coal  

>ve          . 

9,096,680 

Total  production  of  Pennsylvania  in  1873 

34,523,560 

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